Naruto: Fortune Favours the Fox
by Chrisrawr
Summary: Early Mindscape, Young, Non-godlike Naruto, Universe and Clans HEAVILY Expanded and Detailed, Real Challenges, Non-Harem, ZERO BASHING. Departs from Canon IMMEDIATELY, does not look back. "How will Naruto fare in a universe where history goes back more than 600 years, where characters aren't two-dimensional, and where the Kitsune's own luck isn't always enough to save him?"
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own** Naruto.

A/N Jun 24 2013: Back in action! We're live, folks. Expect updates weekly/bi-weekly.

**Jutsu ****List: **If anyone knows how to share a google doc over , help would be appreciated!

Thanks for the reviews so far!

A/N and Summary: This chapter is intended to gauge reader interest, provide insight into universe changes, and hook you into reading more. I am new to this, so please criticize me in very basic ways, building up from a mechanical perspective if possible. I love to hear what you feel I can do better. I'll try my best to respond to all PMs and Reviews. English is my native language, the grammar and spelling in this fiction should be pretty high-rate.

My japanese is not, however. I'll use honorifics only when I think they feel appropriate. Usually this will involve Naruto, with "Sensei" and "jiji". Later on, some Chans may come into play, but I wouldn't trust myself with much anything else.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_'Tenant Thought (rare?)'  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

This fic begins under the following premise: Fortune Favours the Fox. This means Kurama, and by association, Naruto. We will not be following Canon. We will be departing from it almost immediately. Many background events will have changed, and you will learn of them as they are brought up. Most importantly, Akatsuki will actually be threatening, Village politics will not feel like squabbling 5-year-olds, there will be no bashing, and Ninja Academy will actually look decent - meaning that "Rookie of the Year" will actually be prestigious, and the skills they learn and are required to demonstrate there will be relevant to their careers as ninja.

Hopefully, this will keep Naruto close - personality-wise - to how he is in Canon. He's driven, cunning, and _lucky. _He will not be exceptionally smart. He will have many advantages over Canon Naruto in his formative years, but that will just mean he isn't literally braindead when we get to the action-meat and build of the series.

Hopefully, I can retain the compelling freshness of his personality while still delivering him (and others) more flexibility, character, and depth than the manga. If you notice any significant similarities between parts of this fanfiction and other Naruto fanfictions you have read, please inform me so I can contact said FF's owners and ask if ritual suicide is appropriate recompense. Not really, but point it out anyways and I'll make sure they get a nod / grant permission. These similarities are obviously unintentional.

* * *

_As with all stories, it's best to begin at the beginning. From Yin and Yang, all things come. When the first Great Sage walked the land, years after Humanity's decline, he left in his wake a beast of terrible power - Giving Humankind only Hope and Grace to defend themselves. Many centuries passed, and in full circle. When the last Great Sage walked the land, he left in his wake the Moon, and nine tailed beasts. To each, he granted a gift – Reason for the Raccoon. Curiosity for the Cat. Truth for the Turtle. Mastery for the Monkey. Diligence for the Dolphin-Horse. Spirit for the Slug. Being for the Beetle. Tolerance for the Taurus._

_And Fortune for the Fox._

_Millennia more have passed, and the Sage – and his teachings – have since faded away, to myth and legend. Few remain that remember the days of Hope and Grace. Few remain that remember the prophecy. And of them, not all would see it pass..._

* * *

_'Why don't you do some training with us Naruto?' _Naruto swung up again, making little progress. '_It'll be __fun__ Naruto!' __He let out an_ aggravated cry, somewhat satisfied when a murder of crows takes flight in response. Their angry squawking masks some very _creative_ use of profanity, from a blonde you may well recognize.

Grumpy, and thoroughly dizzied, the young Naruto had been hanging upside-down for nearly an hour, watching his new "friends" spar. Not long ago, he'd met Mizuki and Iruka, two Chunin. They had bought Naruto ramen (laxatives apparently didn't affect the boy). They had taught him to throw a kunai (incorrectly, of course, though it would be a while before Naruto figured _that one _out). And they had offered to teach him some cool jutsu, if he could complete a simple _Academy Training Exercise_.

At the blonde's shout, the Chunin gave a start and jumped back from their fight. They began looking around for the source of the noise on full alert – it wouldn't do to have an invader slip by them.

When they spotting the dangling Naruto, sill groaning in frustration, Mizuki burst out laughing, while Iruka merely chuckled, a bit halfheartedly. He was feeling a bit guilty at their prank after having forgotten about the boy. It wasn't that he hated the kid, at least not personally. Mizuki had been bringing up old memories, and it'd been a heavy work day... and, well, his family _had _died in _The Attack._

The memory had been especially raw today, but Iruka was beginning to think that it wasn't much of an excuse - or reason - especially after he'd seen how much joy even a little bit of attention had brought the jinchuriki. Mizuki, however, had no such moral qualms, letting his hatred show through in an impressive display of killing intent, causing chills that set Naruto's body trembling.

"What's the matter, brat? Can't even do a pullup? Everyone who goes to the academy can do it! You just have to do _one,_ and we'll let you down!" Naruto rallied from his fear at that. He would make Mizuki eat his words - he wasn't Konoha's number one unpredictable prankster for _nothing!_

The blond raised his hands, from where they scraped the well-kept grass, and _heaved. S_training upward with every fiber in his body, Naruto reached higher, but became light-headed and dizzy from the abrupt change. He still hadn't gotten used to the vile Chakra pumping out from Mizuki, pulling at his psyche.

His dizziness, combined with the wild swaying his sudden motion caused, spun the blonde into into the tree he was tied to. Disoriented, Naruto, finally lost his painstakingly-gathered concentration. His limp, flailing oscillations induced more mocking laughter from the Chunin, and he fought to keep his earlier meal down... or... up? With a flash of insight - part barf-mechanics, part memories of other children on swing sets, Naruto threw himself into the swaying, back and forth, back and forth...

Iruka was oblivious to the blonde's revelation, and had just finally moved to help Naruto out – as the upside-down boy began swinging himself back and forth, he stepped out in front of Mizuki, already mentally justifying his actions as he bodily cut off the other Chunin's flow of Killing Intent. His mind was made up. He may not _like_ the boy, but he'd be damned if he was caught bullying _anyone,_ especially after the last seminar he'd given...

His reverie ended abruptly, as Naruto's rocking became violent and invigorated - the blonde throwing himself into each motion, keeping in time with his previous swaying. As Iruka drew close, the jinchuriki managed to bring his arms up in a determined grasp around his calves. The blonde managed to hold fast as gravity took over, and Iruka stopped his advance just outside the swing's arc. '_Well I'll be...'_ Iruka whistled low, as the boy persevered through the forces trying to tear his hands away on the upswing - it had been a long bet, and not one either Chunin would've taken.

Finally, on the apex of his swing once more, the blonde grunted a mighty "KAI!", straining forward, he wrapped his fingers around the rope as the descent began. "I DID IT!" The overjoyed blonde shouted out with glee, again startling the crows that had re-settled. Still, he was dizzy with joy, and spinning from the mis-matched forces acting on him - one of his hands slipped, and was flung out behind him - pulled away by centrifugal force and angular acceleration.

With a fierce scowl, the blond fought gravity and momentum - and for a moment, his spinning slowed, his arm bent back toward the rope. However, Iruka's body was no longer blocking Mizuki's hateful gaze – Killing Intent once more flooded his consciousness, and Naruto lost his grip entirely. If not for a quick shift, instinctively covering his head as much as possible, he would've been seeing spots for the rest of the night. As it was, he simply crashed hands-first into the tree.

Of course, the damage done was healed and gone almost before Naruto had registered any pain. Iruka rushed forward, and quickly untied the gently swaying Naruto, observing him critically - an eyebrow raised as he watched the scrapes and cuts disappear. He had no more time to study it, however, as the blonde flopped to the ground with a 'thud'. A fire was already in Naruto's eyes, as the boy's anger mixed with his exhilaration at having completed the challenge.

The boy huffed for a minute to regain his breath, and got up at about the same time as Mizuki had finished chuckling. "What'd you guys do _that_ for?" Tiny hands raised in a frantic, questioning plea. "I thought we were supposed to be training!" His shrill voice caused Iruka to wince, but the blonde brat powered through with his complaints, directed mainly at Mizuki.

"You didn't even use _any_ cool jutsu when you fought! You didn't show me anything but how this *SQUAWK!*ing training ground looks like upside-down!" By now, the crows were tired of squawking, and had settled on migrating to a much more PG nesting grounds.

Iruka resolved to let the kid vent his steam, while the high-pitched cussing elicited sniggers and the occasional chortle from Mizuki, who had bent over double at the child's antics. Iruka himself had had worse from some of his more... _colourful_ students, and as a veteran teacher, was used to temper tantrums by now. Mizuki, it turned out, was not so patient.

After growing less and less amused with each passing insult, the assistant teacher reached out - quick as sound - and grabbed Naruto off the grass, holding him up by a single arm. "Listen here you _little nine-tailed shit,_ we only told you we'd _'train'_ you so I could-" A powerful *thunk* interrupted the Chunin, and the warm scent of blood filled the midday air. Quivering in the tree behind the trio was a kunai, red along the edge. Mizuki dropped Naruto with a hiss, covering his lacerated wrist with a simple medical jutsu. He hadn't done more than stop the bleeding, when an ANBU revealed itself from the foliage.

"Is that _true, _Mizuki? You told Naruto you'd _'train' _him? Oh, well isn't that _big_ of you!" Cat grinned behind his mask, a hint of sadistic mirth graced the edge of his voice. He had these two _assholes_ by the balls, now. Naruto, who had noticed Cat from his uniquely-angled perspective over the last hour, was the only one who wasn't startled by the ANBU's appearance. Taking courage at the unexpected ally, his demeanour flipped once more - from 'scared pissless', to 'this should be _good_'.

Not one for awkward stare-downs or silences, the pint-sized prankster chimed in. "Cat! It sure is, dattebayo! They taught me how to throw a kunai, and even said they'd teach me _'What it really meant to be a Ninja'_, just like you!" Iruka groaned as realization slowly dawned on him. Like Mizuki, who had sunk to his knees, he was now wondering why he was even _still_ _alive. _And the brat was playing up his situation to the ANBU, completely unaware of the severity of what had just occured. No doubt they'd be subjected to all sorts of horrors by T&I before they were incinerated.

As Naruto regaled his day to the ANBU, who'd undoubtedly been there for its entirety, Iruka's fears gave way to a small glimmering of hope. The spec-ops nin eye-smiled at him and Mizuki from behind his mask as Naruto continued his tirade, and a small Genjutsu cut off all light, all sound from the outside world - allowing the three older ninjas to talk un-interrupted.

"One chance, men," the androgynous, metallic voice rang through. "How are we gonna fix this situation?" Iruka sighed as he mentally reworked his schedule to include a week of ass-kickings and tongue lashings. At least death was off the table, for now. Konoha was still too weak to enforce the death penalty every time the Demon Law was broken – in this case, it was probably their position as educators that had saved the two Chunin a fiery fate.

"What do you want?" Mizuki's voice echoed dejectedly within the confines of the Genjutsu. The ANBU considered them for a moment, pretending as if he hadn't already made his mind up. Time seemed to stretch out infinitely as the two lesser ninja awaited their sentence. With the finality of a gavel, Cat told them.

Sunlight returned to the clearing. Iruka's jaw snapped shut, and the trio clued in again as the blonde finished "...they even made me do this stupid _advanced training exercise, _it took me forever to figure out, but then I almost puked and that got me thinking about swing sets and then finally _I got_ _it!"_

By now, the boy was breathing heavily, after an impressively lengthy rant that had been completed in a single breath. Naruto looked up to Cat with a sparkling glaze in his eyes, as he recounted how he'd figured out the secret to pull-ups again in his mind, already mentally embellishing the story.

The last of the boy's comments tipped Cat off to the depth of the treachery involved. '_It was just like the swings at the park...? But what sort of kid can't do a pull up?'_ Realization hit, and Cat suppressed a growl – along with the majority of his Killing Intent. He didn't need the Chunin soiling themselves. '_Advanced Training Exercise _indeed_, that rope was practically braided with Chakra-suppressing Seals...'_

Judging by the quality of the rope, even a Jonin would've been hard-pressed to do a pull-up with over half his Chakra (and therefore half his strength) beyond reach. That Naruto had managed, even unconventionally, to do so - and at his level of training - spoke volumes of the child's willpower.

Cat was, if not enamoured with, then at least fond of the jinchuriki. He'd lost no family, at least to The Attack, and the blonde had been nothing but youthful exuberance and childish innocence since Cat had been assigned to him - no Demon could emulate that for so long. It reminded him of home, of before...

Clearing his throat, the ANBU addressed the Chunin. Mizuki, bubbling with anger and grinding his teeth, seemed especially rattled by the ANBU's next words. "Alright then, Mizuki, Iruka, I suppose you two _should_ be the ones teach this _young, aspiring Ninja_ about what it really means to be of the Leaf." He sent Naruto a wink. "Perhaps starting with the Academy three for the year? And _maybe_ how to throw kunai and shuriken_ properly_?" Naruto could only cheer, despite his confusion. He didn't care why - the blonde was simply happy that something had managed to go his way, for once.

"Get to it." With that, Cat disappeared. No smoke, no leaves, not even a rustle of wind – neither Chunin missed the message implied. Naruto blinked a few times, looking high and low – the blonde had been about to run off in search of Cat, when Iruka crouched beside him, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"W...we'd better get to training, then, N-Naruto..." Defeatedly, Mizuki jogged off to grab kunai and shuriken, while Iruka sat down next to the blond, and went through what amounted to a stripped-down version of the Academy's entrance exam, determining what the boy knew... and what they'd have to teach him to buy their lives back from Cat.

When Mizuki returned, a short time later, he was laden with exercise scrolls, kunai, weapons, ropes, pulleys, and more. When Naruto saw all of this, he leapt to his feet in excitement. Ignoring Iruka – much to the Chunin's annoyance – he began pestering Mizuki for information. "What are we doing first? What's that for? WHOAH! A REAL EXPLOSIVE TAG?" Iruka quickly steered the boy away, explaining that Mizuki needed time to set up the training grounds for the oncoming weeks. When Naruto realized how long he'd have teachers for – and that they'd be bringing him not only weapons and lessons, but _food - _he launched into the air in a triumphant flash of orange joy, his fist-pump emphasized by an exuberant "YOSH!"

* * *

On the outskirts of Konoha, Kakashi won a final Rock Paper Scissors match, ending a thousand-game tie between himself and Maito Gai. The latter had defaulted to rock, as he stared suddenly off towards the training grounds. Kakashi's victory was bitter-sweet, however, as Konoha's Green Beast grabbed him roughly in a bear hug, crushing the Copy-Cat and muttering about youthfulness.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This disclaimer goes for all future chapters.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_'Tenant Thought (rare?)'  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

Cat sat back and watched for some while, in a near-dozing state that most ANBU operatives quickly learned and adopted - a mix between meditation and waiting at a stoplight - ready for anything. The two would-be bullies had spent most of the afternoon and early evening with Naruto, and had managed to break or reduce _most_ of the poor habits they'd taught him - as well as many that he'd picked up on his own. Progress had especially been made with kunai, now that the blonde was throwing them properly - straight instead of rotating, from the fingers instead of from the wrist.

If the kid had launched a kunai in a battle earlier that day, he'd have ended up hitting most of his targets with the haft or butt - or worse, cutting an ally as the blade spun by, in a relatively wide silhouette, contrary to its intended purpose. Now, the blonde could throw a kunai straight with... well, with about as much accuracy as Cat could expect out of an orphan his age.

The ANBU yawned, stretching like the feline his mask portrayed. He'd have to tell his replacement about the _arrangement_ their ward now had with the two Academy teachers. With an eye on his ward, he began a report. With quick, efficient gestures, and a small bit of his own blood, Cat filled a scroll with the details of his shift, sealing it into the branch beneath him. It would be hidden there until Raven arrived.

He'd have to fill out another for the Hokage, he supposed - and no doubt the aging Ninja who would be bitter with the paperwork it would require... But Cat knew that his employer would be pleased. Naruto, a Ninja. Like his parents. The village could use that strength, now more than ever. _'The kid's already displayed the guts for it, that's for sure._

A glint appeared in the distance, its reflections playing across Cat's mask - easily mistaken for the last rays of a setting sun through the trees. Apparently, _Bull_ had arrived. The lounging ANBU briefly wondered what terrible fate had befallen Raven... Paperwork, most likely. He'd report this to his employer, as well. No matter - The two ANBU swapped places with a mutual Kawarimi, no smoke to signal the exchange, no sound to betray their presences. Bull read the scroll that Cat had secreted on his perch, and sighed. _'The Hokage isn't going to like the pile of paperwork this'll fetch...'_ With a swirl of leaves, Cat disappeared to report to his employer.

* * *

When Naruto's arms got tired of throwing Kunai - and later, Shuriken - Iruka settled him down to explain the next technique they'd be teaching him. The kid couldn't read yet, and it fell to Mizuki to take care of that later. As it was, the Chunin was forced to repeat himself until Naruto had it memorized.

"Mizuki and I are jointly teaching first-years after the Summer ends, Naruto - this means we'll be taking on a batch of brand new students - and you - and running them through the basics." He stopped to make sure Naruto was paying attention - the blonde had issues focusing for very long, but the promise of learning - and more importantly, learning _jutsu -_ kept him attentive.

"Then, at the end of the year, our students will be required to perform a final exam, appropriate for their level." Naruto blinked, "What's an 'exam', Iruka?" The Chunin's shoulders slumped - this was going to be harder than he'd thought. "An exam is a test - a hard test, meant to give us teachers an accurate picture of how much progress you've made." Naruto nodded solemnly, processing the information.

Iruka continued, "The test is composed of three areas - a written portion, where you'll be graded on your Ninja lore and history," Naruto groaned - that sounded so _boring. _"A practical portion, which is usually mixed sparring, as well as an assessment of many other physical skills which Ninjas are required to demonstrate," Iruka paused for any comments the blonde might have, but Naruto was simply sitting - eagerly awaiting more information, "And finally, we'll test you on the 'Academy Three'." He held up a hand to stow Naruto's questions. "Before you ask, the Academy Three are commonly used Ninja techniques and jutsus, picked to meet each grade's expected weaknesses."

Iruka was in lecture-mode now, and there was no stopping him - to Naruto, his voice seemed to have lost all character, colour began to leech out of the surroundings, vision began to blur... "The Academy Three are a set of skills that new ninja are able to build off of and improve, and as a new student, you'll have all year to learn them - along with your regular studies - so it's good that we're starting now. You'll have all summer to catch up to the other kids!"

Mizuki walked over as Iruka finished his rant. "Passing the exam requires at least two of the Academy Three to be mastered - as well as a passing mark in both the Practical and Written portions - and it's a majour part of any student's final grade." As he wound down, Naruto pieced together the parts he'd managed to catch. Finally, his eyes lit up. "You mean, if I can learn the 'kwarami' and the 'booshin', you'll let me be a ninja!?" He was ecstatic at the notion, until Mizuki burst out laughing. "Kid, you can't even _pronounce_ the jutsu, and despite our skill as teachers, I don't think you've got what it takes to learn the _Kawarimi_ and the _Bunshin_ from us."

'_He's not entirely wrong,' _Iruka had to solemnly agree. Judging by the difficulty Naruto had had finding his Chakra - let alone using it to _do _anything - the two Chunin were truly afraid of the sheer effort they'd need to put in over the coming year. It was a simple exercise - _any_ civilian child could do it, and most civilian teenagers were still in-tune enough to detect their own Chakra systems. But, try as he might, Naruto couldn't make out a small blue ball _anywhere_ near his stomach when he closed his eyes. It would've been lost against the blue backdrop, in any case. '_Probably another stupid exercise, like the pull-up.' _

* * *

For those passers by who may be wondering at the two Chunin teaching a young boy, a convenient excuse presented itself. The Academy was opening to first-years soon, and Mizuki and Iruka had been assigned to the TAI, or "Teachers Advanced Initiative", a group that spearheaded new academic material and training methods. They were mostly required to create new courses and exams - exercises that were designed push and reveal the limits of the Academy's students. TAI had also been in charge of setting the Academy Three for the first-years earlier this summer, a tradition that dated back to the founding of Konoha. It followed logically that they needed a test subject, and who better to practice on than someone whom everyone thought would fail?

If a student failed, of course, they could re-take the year at no detriment - the Academy was grueling, and there was never a mission failed because of a Ninja having the basics down _too well_. Alternatively, they could attempt the make-up exam at the beginning of the next Academy year, an exacting test that required the student not only to pass a new final exam, but also to demonstrate complete mastery of last year's entire Academy Three in a two-minute spar - failing this makeup exam was something that reflected badly on you for mission priority as a Genin.

That is, often, the work required to pass the make-up exam would hinder a student's summer studies - and the Academy is a year-round deal. This backlog causes a student's ranking to drop, which means the team they're on is less prestigious, and contractors are less likely to select them for a mission - losing the village money overall. As well, those with a number of do-overs tend to be held back by their Jonin-sensei, unable to become Chunin until they're more well-rounded.

The first-year's Three for _this_ year - and for Naruto's impromptu training - were a pair of notorious combo-jutsus, Kawarimi and Bunshin. The third was a Chakra exercise - leaf-sticking - to compliment and ease the use of the first two. As part of TAI, they knew that most of the new students would be civilians. The ninja ranks were simply too thin to keep up the necessary reproduction and child-bearing, after The Attack.

Without the ninja training awarded to the children who'd been lucky enough to be born into clans, Chakra control and reserves would be well below average. As well, Mizuki and Iruka knew that Naruto was still too young to learn Kawarimi and Bunshin. Both jutsu required a Chakra cost that could kill or severely harm a kid his age.

After a brief explanation of the required technique, and enough of a demonstration for Naruto to show what he'd be working toward, they'd begun him on leaf-sticking. Despite their low estimates of his Chakra - which is usually coupled with above-average Chakra control - Naruto was unable to keep leaves stuck to his forehead, the simplest step of the exercise. They kept fluttering off, or burning up, signs that stumped Iruka, and troubled Mizuki...

'_Burning leaves is usually a sign of too much Chakra being pumped into the leaf - half the exercise right, at least. And as for the leaf fluttering away...' _Mizuki quickly stuck a leaf to his forehead, and began pushing a trickle of Chakra through the tenketsu there. The leaf stuck to his forehead as it absorbed the Chakra, like a wet sponge against a wall.

This was the most common error sensei at the Academy had to rectify with civilian students; Chakra permeated everything. It did so at a fairly predictable rate, like water flowing over a porous surface. Push Chakra out, and small objects touching your skin near tenketsu - leaves, paper, dust - would stick to you. An important distinction between this and the leaf-sticking exercise, was that pushing Chakra out didn't work for large objects, like humans, or weights. You couldn't water-walk, or tree-climb by pushing Chakra out.

Leaf-sticking required you to infuse the object with Chakra, and then control that Chakra - keep it close to you, hold it fast and don't let it evaporate. Chakra that slipped away, that you pushed away, was wasted. You couldn't reclaim it, and it would leave you weak and drained on the battlefield. Mizuki steadily increased the flow, pushing Chakra out at a rate that would bleed him dry in a few hours... Minutes...

Finally, the leaf fluttered away, weakly. He watched as Naruto blew another leaf away, launching it a few feet before the air caught it, spinning it dizzily to the ground. He flinched, visibly. '_Monstrous.' _He informed Iruka of his findings in a short intermission, while Naruto hungrily guzzled the energy shakes Cat had bargained out of them. Still, there's no way he could keep it to himself, now. '_The ANBU watching would've seen my reaction, I'll have to be much more cautious in my observation of the demon if I'm to stop him from passing'._ Any signs that Mizuki was doing less than his best to teach the brat, and...

After re-examining the boy's Chakra reserves, the Chunin been forced to restructure the exercise. While they didn't have the instruments or experience to make a precise science of it, they concluded that the best way to continue the exercise would be to simply keep at it until the boy was exhausted - every waking minute, if Naruto could keep it up.

Their break over, Naruto began throwing Kunai once more. The weapon wasn't the Ninja's signature for nothing - Sleek, deadly, silent, and lightning fast, more ninja lay dead at the hands of kunai than anything jutsu and assassination combined. The blonde switched between sticking a leaf to his forehead - the easiest tenketsu for Chakra Control - and hitting as many bulls-eyes as he could before the leaf fell or burned. Progress was slow, but it was getting better.

And of course, Chakra control exercises usually had the added benefit of increasing a young child's Chakra pool with extended use. Both Chunin shuddered at what this would mean for Naruto, for whom they were sure this would be no exception. With final instructions to meet back at the training grounds the following morning, the two Chunin took their leave.

* * *

That had been long hours ago, and Bull was ready to follow their leave. At 10 PM, though it was mid-summer, twilight approached. Twinkling stars were visible on the horizon, where Konoha's lights couldn't quite reach to blot them out. Bull watched and trained outside of Naruto's perception with indifference, using the time to better the aim of many of his more advanced assassination techniques. It wasn't every day he got to use Training Ground 2's extensive selection of moving targets while on-duty. Naruto himself had been practicing with kunai for 8 hours straight - the dem-, err, brat had guts. Bull would at least give him that. His form was off, though, and through no fault of his instructors. His stance lost each throw a lot of power - and therefore, range and accuracy. But, at least he was improving at a perceivable rate, and with each passing hour the kunai hit harder and harder. Finally, Bull figured out what had been throwing the boy off for so long.

A rustle alerted Naruto to Bull's presence. Before he had time to stop himself, the blonde instinctively spun and threw, immediately calling out in surprise and regret. He needn't have worried, however, as the weapon bounced harmlessly off of the ANBU's armour. "Good ears, kid." Bull caught the kunai before it reached the ground, "Answer me this, kid" he gave the child a second to face him, before tossing the kunai back. Naruto caught it and began trying to spin it like he'd seen Cat do, as he waited for the Anbu's question. Pointing, Bull obliged him. "What hand did you catch with?" Its unexpectedness confused the boy. "This one," the blonde replied, holding up his left hand with the kunai.

Bull continued, "And which one did you throw it with?" Naruto thought back for a moment, before indicating his other hand with the kunai's tip. Bull nodded, "Do you know left from right?" Naruto's shaking head revealed his ignorance, and he sat as Bull began to lecture. Having already broken his standing orders by interacting with the boy, the ANBU sat down beside Naruto, pulling him in close so that the blonde could better see what he was talking about. There was no one around to know, and he could keep it off of the report in any case. Besides, if knowing enough about himself to throw a kunai would stop the brat from getting killed on a mission - or even by a drunk civilian one day - it was the least he could do...

"The hand you catch with is your left, Naruto. The hand you threw with is your right. Left and right is a more complicated issue than that, but what you need to know is that you're left-handed..." Bull spent the next quarter of an hour showing the boy what he meant, letting Naruto observe the difference in form and accuracy, form, and flow between his left and right hands. Naruto had to agree that his left hand _felt right_ - that is, felt natural, not right. Right? - when he used it, and the improvement in his form was already obvious to Bull.

Some small time passed as the darkness closed in around them. Chakra-fed lights illuminated the pair's targets, and the throwing range, in a tiny universe that belonged only to Bull and Naruto. "Don't think this means you get off easy with your right hand" Bull cautioned, noting a rising pride in Naruto's demeanour as his left-handed accuracy quickly came close to matching his long-practiced right. "Once your left hand gets as good as your right, you'll have to train _both of them_ to get better."

He continued, trying to explain why, but Naruto's groan at the prospect of once more working with his right hand produced a sweat-drop that threatened to topple the Anbu. Bull figured then that Naruto was lazy when it came to training - he knew the type, preferring to rely on same trick over and over - So he decided to showe the boy something practical. Thinking quickly, he cut the blonde's complaints off with a curt silencing gesture. Then, using some rope, he quickly bound Naruto's right hand. "What happens if your hand is damaged, Naruto?" The boy's confused look elicited a depressed sigh from the Anbu. "What if someone breaks your wrist and you can't throw wi-"

Bull needn't have continued. A lightbulb had blinked on above Naruto's head, and he interrupted with the gusto of insight. "Then I throw with my other hand until it heals! Alright I get it, thanks Bull!" The older male knuckled the blonde's head for interrupting him, but was glad that he'd gotten the point.

As if to ruin the joviality of the moment, a ravenous growling ripped through the clearing - Bull was sent from muscling the boy under his arm into full battle awareness - ready for anything, looking everywhere at once. A second growl allowed him to pinpoint the source of the noise - '_The Jinchuriki! I have to warn Hokage-Sama! I have to-' _Bull face-planted, dragging Naruto to the ground as boy's stomach growled a third time, and the ANBU insisted that the blonde go home and rest. "There are Jonin who don't train as hard as you, kid. Keep that up and you'll be Academy-ready in no time - just don't forget to eat and sleep." He shook his head, thinking of some - like Gai - who frequently passed out from overexertion.

Bull patted the boy on the back in farewell, discretely placing a privacy seal that should hold out during the long walk back to his apartment - a shabby dump in the Civilian sector that the Hokage kept renting for the kid. Bull personally didn't think it was safe, having the child surrounded by people who wanted nothing better than to rip him apart, but he trusted the old man's judgement. It was Dog's duty to watch over Naruto at his home, anyways - it would take an _army_ of civilians to get through him. Bull melted into the shadows, before rushing to alert Dog via Shunshin. Handing off Cat's letter and his own comments to Dog, Bull sighed. Reporting the day's activity to the Hokage was going to be a mess.


	3. Chapter 3

June 26 2013 A/N: Chapters have definitely changed from when you last read. Chapters 1-5 are basically going to be a longer 'old chapter 1', with subsequent chapters flowing much more smoothly.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_**'Tenant Thought (rare?)'**  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

_The next morning_

Naruto woke up shortly before his buzzer would have gone off, tired but excited. Today he'd show Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei how a _real_ ninja trains! _'It's awfully early, though...'_ The previous night felt dreamlike, almost ethereal - if he'd known what the word meant. His pleasant thoughts were drowned out, however, by a blaring of the aforementioned alarm - which promptly found itself flying towards the ceiling. Of course, this meant that Naruto promptly found _him_self ducking out of the way. Morning hazards aside, the blonde ran quickly through his routine - boil water, get dressed, do laundry, make ramen, wait for ramen to finish, remember he has food left over, eat that, wait for ramen... Eat ramen! Brush teeth, lock door.

As quickly as if the earth beneath his feet had pushed him there, Naruto found himself at the training grounds. The walk there forgotten, his excitement was already building. As he entered, the two Chunin motioned him to sit down. Both were working - Iruka was tinkering with some kind of weird device, with handles and a screen. The man was cursing frequently - or at least, he had been, until he noticed Naruto. Meanwhile Mizuki was setting up a great stack of paperwork. He'd set up a folding table underneath the tree Naruto had hung from the day before, in order to organize everything. Cat was nowhere to be found, but Naruto and his regretful teachers knew he would be hiding nearby - the blonde's guardian angel. The knowledge pacified Naruto somewhat, and before long, he'd begun to daydream.

Pranks were foremost on his mind. Cat may have bullied the two teachers into being his personal tutors, but that didn't mean Naruto was going to let them off without his own brand of justice. _'I''ll need three Mice, a bicycle pump, some wire...' _the blonde wondered if he could get a blunted kunai somewhere, to complement his array of firecrackers. He could always get the bicycle pump from Ichiraku's, and mice were never in short supply... Suddenly, a loud 'BANG!' jostled him from his reverie. With some additional 'BANGS', and some 'POPS' thrown in for good measure, the device Iruka had been working on roared to life - a small, if noisy, engine fueling an assortment of blinking lights on the previously blank screen.

With some satisfaction at completing his task, Iruka motioned the blonde over. "This device is a treadmill, Naruto. It'll let us keep an eye on you while you run, so we can correct your technique." He'd come to expect the boy's confused expression by now, and continued without preamble. "When ninjas run, we use Chakra to speed ourselves up, as well as to improve the distance that we can cover by converting our spiritual energies into physical stamina." He demonstrated by zipping around the training grounds. Naruto's head to whipped back and forth trying to follow him, and the boy fell, dizzied, after stumbling over his own feet. When Iruka returned, he wasn't even breathing hard.

"The problem is," Iruka continued, "you've been running like a civilian your whole life." Naruto's look of indignance was priceless, truly a treasure. "So, what we'll do is fix it the good old fashioned way - with lots and _lots _of hard work!" He motioned Naruto up onto the tread before starting it - the blonde stumbled slightly, but quickly regained his bearings and began to jog. Naruto smirked - running was easy, and he could do it all day. He _had_ done it all day, more often than he'd have liked to. Still, he'd love to be able to run like Iruka. So fast that no one could catch him...

Naruto frowned as Mizuki finally came over. Iruka began yet another explanation - early morning, and he'd already been _explained_ to more than he dreamed was possible in a day! "While we fixing your running, Mizuki will be teaching you to read. I'll let him take over from here." With that, the scarred Chunin stepped back and took the handles for the treadmill. As Mizuki began to _slowly_ teach Naruto the importance of the alphabet, Iruka was carefully controlling the speed and incline of each step the blonde took. At first, the boy's steps faltered - he stumbled frequently, and was barely managing to keep up with the modest pace Iruka had set. Both Chunin settled in for a long day of little progress.

The machines were wonderful, however - Iruka could teach a class to run from his desk with enough of them, which is why they were being tested. The tread itself, made up of a material extremely sensitive to shape manipulation, allowed the scarred Chunin to alter almost any property of it - which meant that, after the first couple of minutes, Naruto had already began adapting to the shuffle-hop of Ninja running. Iruka began checking points off on his worksheet, carefully documenting various data for the eggheads in R&D.

As Naruto's gait improved throughout the early hours of the morning, enough for him to spend a little focus elsewhere, Mizuki began to read off letters and common words associated with them. However, the silver-haired Chunin soon became annoyed, having repeated the letter "C", and various animals, shapes, and common items associated with it, far too many times. He snapped at the blonde, mindful of his wording this time. "If you're too stupid to even learn your _letters_, then why are we even being forced to waste our time with you? Don't think for a _second_ that you can become a ninja if you can't read - we don't let _retards _into the Academy!"

Naruto didn't like that, at all. People ignored him, mostly, or spat at him. They called him names, of course - bullied him, beat him up, chased him. But he _wasn't_ stupid. He just couldn't focus on something so boring while he was running. Running was as close as he'd ever come to being free, in his life. It was also the first step in his training to be a real ninja. '_Running is freakin' awesome! I can't help it if words and letters suck.' _Still, the blonde wouldn't stand for some bastard belittling him to his face. Reaching deep within himself, he did the unthinkable - he _paid attention. _It was unbelievably boring; the blonde swore that stories would be told about this day. '_When I'm Hokage, no one will have to do anything this boring, dattebayo!' _

"F - Fable, Fear, Fight, Fox, F&*#!" the jinchuriki added a few of his own choice words from then on, enjoying every iota of Mizuki's disgust and annoyance. Still, sometime around 'S', Naruto began to weary, now of the treadmill's pace. It had become boring, once he'd gotten used to the gait. While his letters tutor went off to pick up the next sheaf of papers, the blonde began to complain. "Iruka-sensei, when do I get to run fast like you did?" The scarred Chunin had, of course, noted that the blonde's adjustment to the running style was almost complete. "I suppose I could turn the speed up, while you get used to channeling Chakra to your feet - be careful! Naruto, it's a lot harder than channeling to your hands, or forehead, and it's not something you should do outside of this test!" Iruka had been forced to re-correct Naruto's pace, as the blonde nearly shot off the treadmill. Luckily, the material could stretch and suction to the boy's feet, keeping him firmly in place.

As Naruto slowly worked his way back to a respectable pace, this time using Chakra under Iruka's guidance to aid and guide his movements, Mizuki began with examples of words, this time forcing the blonde to read and sound-out each letter they contained. He was determined to prove himself to the sneering Chunin, to show that he wasn't just some little brat that could be disregarded and spat upon. Still, the tingling in his legs was distracting, as was the feeling of power and energy simply channeling Chakra brought.

'_If I could just focus better...' _Naruto lamented his failings, unable to keep his attention on the lettering for more than a few minutes at a time. His mind kept wandering, enjoying the slight breeze and the scenery of the training grounds, the natural high of using Chakra, and the exhilaration that running brought him. "You know, Iruka," the blonde took advantage of a lull in Mizuki's _administrations_ to talk. "I _really _like running - though, if I ran like this through the town, I'd probably be chased." The boy's regretful teacher didn't have to ponder his statement for long, as their silver-haired companion chimed in. "You'd probably deserve it too - defacing property, pulling pranks, disturbing the peace. You're lucky that Hokage-sama likes you so much, or you'd be-!"

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Naruto bellowed. Iruka had to increase the speed and traction on the treadmill to stop the blonde from shooting toward his partner - the boy's running was now something many second-years in the Academy could be envious of, and he was getting faster. Determined and stubborn, Naruto seemed to be going all-out in an attempt to attack Mizuki. At first, the boy's flaring Chakra had cowed the Chunin - an innocent inkling of the boy's as-yet unformed killer intent. But Mizuki's teaching career had honed his senses, and his reactions, and no sooner had he recovered from the outburst than had a solution presented itself.

"Iruka, I think the brat's simply got too much energy to focus properly," his eyes twinkled maliciously. "Perhaps we should wear him out first - give him a _real_ run and then we can start him on _taijutsu kata_." It wasn't a suggestion. Iruka sighed - his partner was correct, and they _did_ need to get off the treadmill soon. Naruto had ran for longer than he'd expected of the boy. _'But that's no excuse for disrespect.'_

Palm to face, Iruka addressed the blonde. "Alright Naruto, grab some water. We're going to do a forced run, and then you'll move to some taijutsu - that should give you time to settle down." He then turned to Mizuki, his eyes hardening. "Mizuki, you are my _assistant_ in this scenario - and a ninja of Konoha. Try to show some restraint, and set a good example for our student." He hoped it would be enough to stem the back-and-forth for at least a little while - at least Mizuki had looked suitably chastised.

As he readied the treadmill to accept a higher tolerance out of the blonde's run, Mizuki and Naruto sent glares toward each other, their gaze sparking somewhere in the middle. "Naruto, cut it out. You're going to begin running. I'll amp up the speed, while you just focus on keeping form. When you need to stop, just jump off - don't try to keep going if you think you're going to fall." The boy nodded, excitement and eagerness showing on his face. They quickly reached the speed that Naruto had used to attempt his attack on Mizuki, before surpassing it ever so slightly. The blonde looked like he was exerting himself, but not nearly as much as he should have been.

Curious, Iruka increased the speed even further. The boy's pace matched it, though his form began to falter. The Chunin both frowned when they saw how - roiling blue had begun to pour from the boy's legs, an indication of just how far Naruto's physical state had to improve. The blonde was shedding Chakra at a rate that would've killed many Genin in seconds, just to move at a speed that many of the more advanced Academy students could keep up for hours without breaking a sweat.

When Naruto began showing signs of Chakra depletion, not to mention raw, physical exhaustion, Iruka cut him off. "Alright Naruto, that's enough - let me finish some paperwork, and we'll move on. You should wind down with a couple of slow laps around the training grounds, be sure to keep your form!" Iruka was truly afraid of the boy's reserves at this point. They'd known since recently that the boy had had a veritable ocean of Chakra, but knowing and witnessing its use were two different things. Still, it wouldn't do to let a student - even _this_ student - try to get by in the ninja world on reserves alone. The boy _would_ learn to run and fight without wasting a city's worth of Chakra every five minutes, even if they had to go buy more of the horrendously expensive inhibitor seals. '_Actually, that's not a bad idea._' Iruka made a note beside the boy's progress report, before switching to mark off the paperwork for taijutsu.

* * *

After being kicked around the training grounds by Mizuki, and later Iruka - with Cat's consent and vigilance, of course - Naruto was in awe again of just how far he had to progress. Even when they'd let him go all out - channeling Chakra into his arms and legs until he practically glowed - the boy couldn't so much as touch either of his teachers when they didn't want him to. Mizuki especially had taken care to upstage the young jinchuriki in every possible way, tripping him frequently and leaving him hanging in the tree, by the collar of his orange jumpsuit. The example they set here was more than enough to prove to Naruto that Chakra alone didn't mean anything.

Finally, exhausted and starving, the blonde terror of Konoha sat down to work on his lettering. "Now Naruto, to help you focus, you'll get food for every word you complete _without error." _Iruka hadn't wanted to do it this way, but Mizuki's plan had so far turned out to be as effective as it was inhumane. Nothing else was as powerful a source of motivation to the blonde as food. Having been banned from Ramen whilst at the training grounds, this meant that the two Chunin were in complete control of the boy's diet for 8 hours a day.

After another two hours of (possibly the most mind-numbingly boring) literacy training - involving pictures of colourful animals and bright, block letters - the blonde was finally allowed to work on his Chakra control once more. This meant he got to practice with kunai again - a treat he'd been looking forward to all day. When the two Chunin finally left - packing up most of the paperwork, but leaving the table and treadmill where they were - Bull once more made himself known.

"Oniichan!" Naruto looked like a tree going through winter molt, as leaves fell or burned from his covered tenketsu - forgotten in his excitement. "I didn't know if you were going to show up again, Bull! Are you gonna teach me more?" At the ANBU's shake of denial, Naruto pouted. "But then how am I gonna become a super-cool ninja like you and Cat? I've gotta be the best if I'm gonna be Hokage dattebayo!"

Bull sighed at the blonde's antics, ruffling the kid's unruly hair. "If you want to become the Hokage, it's not about just being the best. You have to be ready, willing to do anything to protect _everyone_ in the village, Naruto." The jinchuriki tilted his head, like a dog or fox would upon hearing a new sound. "Well _duh._ Being the Hokage's like having _everyone_ as your family! I've gotta be strong enough to protect you, and Cat, and Jiji, and Iruka-sensei, and..."

"The shop owners, and the people on the street who spit on you, and Mizuki. Naruto, everyone means _everyone." _The ANBU was thankful for the mask, which currently hid a grimace. _'I hate you, old man.'_ Of _course_ he'd been found out last night. Dog had been watching, and reported to Hokage-sama. Sarutobi had, in turn, wanted to know everything about the blonde's new ninja ambitions... And for disobeying direct orders, Bull would be the one to pry. Even if Naruto hated him for it. His orders had been clear - although interrogation wasn't Bull's strong suit, his ANBU training covered both information retrieval and child psychology. Subtle misdirection was a way of life for the elite Jounin corps, in speech and in action. The blonde would pour his heart out, even if Bull lost his trust and admiration in the process.

Naruto, however, continued to look as if what Bull had said was obvious. "Hokage-jiji doesn't like everyone in _his_ family, but that doesn't mean he won't protect them! And he's so strong! Stronger than Iruka-sensei, because he's the Hokage dattebayo! You've _gotta_ teach me, oniichan! I've gotta be the strongest, so everyone will notice me!" The boy's verbal tic was as annoying as it was endearing, and there was something about him - a charisma, part physical, part... something else. Bull eyed the blonde warily, attempting to dispel any genjutsu - he didn't normally feel compelled to do _anything_, let alone something for free, for a kid he barely knew.

But tonight would make it twice in a row he helped the brat out. _'Troublesome._' He'd still have to weasel everything he could out of the blonde, but at least he could enjoy himself while he was at it. Flipping the bird at Dog, wherever that perverted bastard was, he finally capitulated. "Alright Naruto, we'll train some more tonight - but you're going to have to show me what you've been over today, and you're going to have to tell me why it's important for a ninja, especially a great ninja, to master what he knows - even if it's boring." His eyebrow, raised comically and visible even behind the mask, caused Naruto to laugh.

"You've got yourself a deal, onii-chan! Watch, this one's my favourite!" The blonde was happily making a mess of the running form that the two Chunin had attempted to drill into him. Bull knew the two teachers weren't inept - their methods had hardly changed since _he'd_ been in the Academy, and many notable ninja had learned their basics similarly. When Naruto finished his ABC's, Bull had formed the beginnings of an idea that might help the boy. Following the hunch, he formed a shadow clone, who snuck off into the village. There was research to be done, and no better place for it than the Library.

"Naruto, let's go back to your throwing techniques for a minute - I want you to practice a special technique, and then we're going to come back to your running and reading." Having captured the blonde's attention with the words, "Special Technique," Bull capitalized on the time it would take his shadow clone to return in order to test another theory. Besides, he'd started with the boy many hours earlier, compared to the previous night. He was sure the boy would surpass his expectations again.

"Instead of leaf-sticking while you throw, I want you to hold your arm back, as if about to throw - there! Now, visualize your Chakra flowing into your arm, taking the same shape as it. Channel your Chakra - hold it in the image of your arm, and don't let any escape." Naruto tried, confused at how this could be a special technique. He was awarded with the tingling feeling he'd came to associate with Chakra movement. "Keep the image in your mind, Naruto - don't lose focus, or the technique will fail. Now, what you need to do is imagine this Chakra following the throwing motion we practiced. Let's start slow, move your arm as if you were throwing - but don't let go just yet! Slowly, Naruto."

The boy practiced a few times, making sure the Chakra stayed where his arm was. It was harder than it looked - if he imagined it outside his arm, or if he moved his arm without making the Chakra follow, it would shoot out from his tenketsu - causing his arm to wobble and jerk. He almost stabbed himself, but Bull had intervened, the kunai clinking harmlessly off his bracer. A few minutes of practice turned into half an hour, and Bull was getting worried - his clone should have returned by now.

Finally, he received a burst of memories. "Naruto, why don't you keep practicing the technique for a bit - I've got to attend some business in the bushes." Without checking for the blonde's compliance, Bull quickly retrieved the bundle of books and scrolls he'd left himself in a tree nearby. His nose was bleeding from trying to process the information - shadow clones were notorious for causing brain damage, schizophrenia, and all sorts of other mental problems if they weren't dispelled quickly - or if one used too many. In this case, his clone had been cornered by none other than Dog, who'd made sure he hadn't been intending to cause any more of a ruckus with the jinchuriki.

His return trip was hastened by a shout from the practice range - then another. '_Why didn't I leave a clone with the boy?!' _With a Shunshin, he hoped to make it back before it was too late...


	4. Chapter 4

June 30 2013 A/N: Haven't gotten around to updating these as quickly as I'd have hoped. Home life and work should never be underestimated in their ability to interfere.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_**'Tenant Thought (rare?)'**  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

_Back at the Training Grounds  
_

Bull returned to the clearing in a storm of leaves, Chakra usage be damned. He was just in time to watch Naruto impale his target with a blunted kunai, no small feat for a boy his age. "OOOYAAH! WHO'S AWESOME? I'M AWESOME!" Apparently, it hadn't been his first try. His voice deadpan, the ANBU advanced on the blonde. "Naruto, I thought I told you not to throw _any_ ku-" the rest of his sentence was drowned out by Naruto's jubilation. "Bull-sensei! Did you see THAT? This special technique is awesome, what do you call it? I can't wait to use it on..."

Now it was Bull's turn to interrupt. "Use it on _who_, Naruto? On the villagers who bully you? On Mizuki when he makes you angry again? Throwing kunai has _nothing_ to do with what I intend to teach you, and neither does attacking Konoha's citizens." He continued, and to the blonde it seemed as if the ANBU was growing larger and more menacing with every passing second. Naruto could think of no response, didn't have the experience or knowledge to defend himself from the accusations that stung to his core. After a moment of tension, Naruto's brain shut off, and he did what any young child would. He began to cry.

"I just wanted to make you proud of me." Bull's aggression stopped at the words. He'd been about to lecture the child on what it meant to be a ninja - what it meant to be Hokage, and to have duties, to be responsible. The boy's enthusiasm, as well as his maturity in some aspects - his Chakra capacity, his emotional control, his forgiveness and caring - had caused the ANBU to forget that he was dealing with a small child. Carefully, he approached the crouching blonde.

"Naruto..." Bull reached a hand out to console the boy as he thought of what to say next. "Sometimes your actions will end up hurting those around you, either physically or emotionally. Sometimes you'll hurt yourself." He waited for Naruto to look at him, the blonde having moved closer and stifled his tears. "Just because your intentions are good, it doesn't mean things won't go wrong. You have to think carefully before you do anything, especially as a ninja."

Bull spent a few minutes talking with the boy, prodding now and again for him to open up. The blonde was a walking tangle of emotions and insights, from food to pranks to gardening. "Ichiraku-jiji's shop is awesome! I wish more people would go there and make him get really rich, but everyone goes away when I eat there." Bull couldn't help but sigh - not many people could stand to be around Naruto, though he couldn't blame them; the attack was still fresh in many memories, wounds of lost lovers and family would keep all but the youngest children away from him.

"How about your home life, Naruto? What do you do when you're alone?" Dog usually took care of the night shift, meaning Bull was working on a lack of information - anything he learned here would be new for the Hokage as well; Dog's reporting skills were notorious for their... brevity. "Well, I make ramen, mostly! Aayame-oneesan buys it for me because the shop owners won't let me in, and I don't always have enough money to eat at Ichiraku's." The blonde rubbed his head in embarrassment - he was just happy to have someone to talk to. "Oh! Sometimes I garden! Someone brought me a whole bunch of dirt one night but didn't leave any notes or anything. When I woke up, there were plants growing in it! I tried to move them carefully, but I lost a bunch..."

Naruto pantomimed his actions as he spoke, eventually telling the ANBU about his forays into the various parks around the village. "There's one house in the fancy part of Konoha that's _covered_ in prickly vines! I tried to ask the people who lived there if they'd help me garden, but some mean blonde girl said I wasn't allowed around their place and that she'd call the police if I stayed." Bull knew the girl he was talking about, as it happened - and had seen her shooing her friends away from Naruto on the playground more than once. He'd have to have a talk with the Yamanaka head about this...

Before too long had passed, Naruto was once again jumpy with energy. All had been forgiven between the two, and Bull just hoped that Naruto had taken his words and occasional interjections over the course of their conversation to heart. "Now, let's get back to learning that technique - afterward, we're going to try something completely different, so you've gotta learn fast." The blonde nodded his agreement, and stretched, pulling himself off the ground.

"Since you already figured out what happens when you release the Chakra from your arms in the opposite direction of your throw, we'll move on to the _intended_ application of the technique; it just so happens to be the exact opposite." Bull demonstrated - using the technique at minimal efficiency, showing Naruto where the Chakra would be expelled by way of a large blue puff. The Kunai, predictably, went shooting forward at preposterous speed, penetrating the bulls-eye of the target and burying itself into the ground.

"This technique is the first step in learning the Kawarimi, and for reasons you'll learn later, should never be used in an actual battle." Naruto gaped at the ANBU, before begging to be taught. "Arm back, Naruto. Gather the Chakra, follow your arm. Visualize it entering the kunai, but don't throw it." He waited, while blue mist began to evaporate from the blonde's fingers. "Use your palm instead of your fingers, Naruto - imagine a rope of Chakra from your core, through your palm, to the tip of the kunai - hold it!" Naruto's arm was trembling, straining to hold up both itself and the unusual weight of a kunai for so long. "Now, find the center of your target. Focus on it, but don't lose your Chakra. You need to imagine the rope stretching all the way to the target, and have your Chakra carry it there."

At that, he motioned for Naruto to throw. The blonde went through a few practice throws, muttering to himself as Bull corrected form and gave tips. "It's just like making leaves stick to your skin, Naruto - just keep the kunai in the center of the rope. Use as much Chakra as it takes - push it out, _force_ the Chakra to carry it." Eventually, the blonde managed more than a few variations. Loop-de-loops, curves, even tracks that returned the kunai to him. With his Chakra output, the skill had been fairly easy to learn. '_Teaching him to master it, to a point where it'll be useful on missions, is another p__erson's job entirely.'_ Bull none the less found the boy's progress acceptable. Shape manipulation was, arguably, one of the most basic skills a ninja could use, and one of the most powerful.

"Alright, Naruto, let's change tracks. Your running still needs some serious work - I know you've got some trouble keeping the form, so I brought something that will help you kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." He then had to explain the idiom to the blonde, assuring him that they wouldn't be killing any birds. "Troublesome. Anyways, I won't always be able to come help you at nights - to that end, you're going to have to start teaching yourself. And here," he motioned to the books he'd brought from the library, "Is how you'll do it."

"'Kata and Form for Beginners', and 'My First Audio Reading Guide'?" Bull nodded, having forced Naruto to read each of the titles of the books. "You're going to go through 'My First Audio Reading Guide' until you can read it all in one lap around Konoha." Naruto almost fainted - '_The damn book is almost as thick as my finger!' _A feeling of dread descended upon him, and intensified as he opened it, '_and the writing is so small! Compared to some of the pages Mizuki forced me through, I practically need to have my nose in the book to read it!' _ A third fear descended upon the blonde. '_At my speed, i__t won't take long to get around Konoha,_ either...'Or so he thought.

The blonde's fears were interrupted as the page he'd opened the book to began to speak. "WUAHRGH!" Naruto tossed the book away, forcing Bull to retrieve it mid-air before it could be damaged. Smacking the back of Naruto's head, the ANBU's reprimand was scathing. "_Books. Are. Precious._ Especially this one. You will not lose it, you will not let it be stolen, and you _will not damage it. _Am I clear?" Naruto nodded fervently, before accepting the book back. He held it at arms' length, as if it might bite. "Open it, Naruto. It's going to read itself to you. Each page has buttons to stop, start, rewind, and go forward. I want you to follow along with the book, one word at a time, until you can read an entire page on your own. When you finish the book, tell whichever of us is watching you - just say it out loud, and the next time I can, I'll get you another one."

Once Naruto got a feel for the thickness of each page - packed with electrical instruments and audio hardware - he relaxed a bit. It wouldn't be that hard, after all. Each word lit up as it was spoken, and he could make the words play over and over until he got them. In fact, he was almost having fun - Bull had to cough in order to get his attention. "While you're learning to read with that book, the other one requires only patience. It's completely visual - you've got great eyes, Naruto, and a good sense of your body's position when you pay attention." Bull opened the book to the first page, where it showed an androgynous figure. "Channel some Chakra into the book, and wait."

As the blonde drained a portion of his remaining energy into the book, the figure on the page changed - becoming more and more like the blonde. "This book uses a special form of jutsu, and was designed by a very famous ninja especially for orphans and young children - like yourself - to help them learn when a mentor or tutor isn't available. When you're old enough to enter the Academy, you'll be granted clearance to enter the Library's ninja sections and learn from more books like this one." Naruto had never thought that books would be _useful_ - he'd always seen manga or newspapers or dusty old tomes as something that _old_ people did for fun, like his gardening.

As he watched the book, the figure - now closely resembling Naruto, except for hair and clothes - began to go through various routines and movements. Each page was different, unless it was a continuation from a previous page - indicated by remaining blank until the figure moved onto it. Bull pointed to the words at the top of each page, indicating what kind of exercise it was and what it could be used for. "This book is more expensive than the other one - don't let it leave your house until you've mastered every single form in the book. When you can read them, there's instructions for using it at the very beginning. Once you've read _that_, it should be really simple to figure out." He hoped.

Naruto nodded absently, staring in wonder at the figures dancing throughout the book, some posing in forms that hurt to look at. After a minute he looked up, tears in his eyes, and - after carefully setting the book aside - wrapped his arms firmly around Bull's legs in a crushing embrace.

* * *

Naruto ran home through a summer shower, trying to keep his form in the shuffle-hop of ninja movement. It was hard, when all he wanted to do was skip and jump with glee. The blonde didn't think he'd ever felt this happy - even Hokage-jiji's presents weren't this awesome! Quickly ducking inside his apartment and locking the door behind him, Naruto unpacked his new belongings, transferring them from one of his jumpsuit's large pockets to the secret compartment beneath his bed - it was little more than a loose floorboard, but it was his most secret spot, and he had yet to have anything stolen from it.

Quickly checking his garden, he got ready for bed - boil water, undress, stretch, *THUMP*... Naruto cautiously poked his head out of his window, but saw nothing. *THUMP* The blonde startled, he slammed the window shut and bolted it. '_Ghosts!'_ He knew it! Gathering his courage, Naruto took out a kunai. He shuffled toward the door, legs shaking. Unlocking its many bolts, he took the handle, turned...

Naruto charged out from his apartment, kunai at the ready, swiping back and forth. Holding it in front of him, he looked around for the source of the noise. *Clack...* He looked up, just in time to see a form falling directly above. The ANBU, mask blank except for a single line of blue down the center, landed directly on Naruto, impaling himself on the up-held kunai. '_What kind of ANBU doesn't wear armour?' 'Where's his animal mask?' 'Who is it?'_ None of these questions were going through the blonde's mind right now. Instead, Naruto simply blanked out, his mind unable to process quite what had happened.

Dog cussed profusely, as his prey shot downward off the apartment's roof - Naruto would be defenseless against such an opponent, Dog's laxity would be the death of yet another he had sworn to protect. He shot toward the edge of the apartment, hopped down, and began to gather lightning along his arm, hoping he wasn't too late. His mind hopped track when he saw Naruto laying, covered in blood, clutching a kunai. The ROOT agent that had slipped past Dog's defenses lay dead, partially on top of him. Dog quickly formulated a plan, grabbing the larger body and disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

In the distance, lights flashed and a siren sounded. Rough hands picked Naruto up and dragged him away.

* * *

Midnight came and went. Sarutobi sat grimacing in his office, blood streaming from his eyes and nose. One of the problems with shadow clones was their memory backlash. There was no way to slow the rate at which their information returned - which was instantly. For small durations - five minutes, ten minutes - it wasn't an issue. The user might have a headache, or be disoriented for a short time.

The Hokage's use of clones, of course, was among the most advanced in the ninja world. He used them daily - the current state of Konoha demanded it. He'd piked up tricks, techniques, and forbidden knowledge in an attempt to extend their use and diminish their mutinous downsides. The clone that had dispelled, having been active for over four hours through the use of these techniques, was currently being contained by a constant application of a Chakra-intensive forbidden jutsu. It seemed that the mundane reports from the civilian council's activities had been quite... extensive.

When a horde of Civilian Council Members began pouring in to the Hokage's Judiciary office, Hiruzen's clone had spent the day reviewing reports and standing judge for dozens of mock trials. Finally, having returned to a mental state in which he could process the memories, Sarutobi knew why his clone had risked such a foray. Normally, he would have had any civilian issues wait until the morning. This was different; it was Root. Root and Naruto. Dog had apparently intercepted a Ne operative attempting to abduct the jinchuriki. The ROOT ninja had managed to dodge Dog's initial attack from the rooftops, but he then slipped on a roof tile - falling to the ground below, and impaling himself on Naruto's raised kunai.

'_The boy would be fine_,' the wizened Ninja knew. The young blonde still didn't understand quite what had happened, at least, not really. '_Death wasn't something children his age conceptualized very well, and thank kami for it.' _The God of Ninjas lit his pipe as he stood, making his way towards the Military Council Chambers, where new clones, and ANBU on duty, had ordered Naruto and the clan heads to be arranged.

The _real_ fuss that night had began when Naruto's landlord, an ancient lady who'd been the only civilian Sarutobi had been able to find to shelter the boy, happened to look outside before she locked up. She first noticed the dead Ninja on the ground, and then a confused and frightened Naruto - orange jumpsuit stained red, a bloody kunai in hand. She regretted ever letting the old man talk her into this scam - the jinchuriki had killed! Had killed, and would kill again! It was the Kyuubi attack all over in her mind, and she _had _to stop it. She did the only thing she knew how, and called the police. The civilian police. Dog was nowhere in sight.

The civilian council members had almost formed a mob on the way to the council chambers, demanding blood. For his part, Dog had quickly brought the NE operative's body to the T&I department for questioning, leaving Naruto to fend for himself - not understanding what the consequences of such a foolish action would be. He shouldn't have bothered, for the NE operative had already committed suicide. The ROOT ninja's tongue was sealed against betrayal in any case.

In the civilian council chambers, Dog's report came to the Hokage's clone just before the throng of irate civilian seat-holders barreled in. At their fore, a badly beaten and bloodied Naruto was tied up and kicked forward whenever he paused, dragged to his feet whenever he stumbled or faltered. Hours later, Sarutobi's clone popped as it had been talking them down, unable to stretch its Chakra any farther. At least it had gotten them to relinquish the Jinchuriki into his holding. Dog would be bringing the boy now. He hoped.

Sarutobi massaged his headache away as he walked, medical Chakra glowing green on his fingertips. There was no way for this _debacle _to be swept under the rug. Too many people would swear they'd 'seen' the jinchuriki stab the ROOT Ninja, and Sarutobi couldn't let Danzo know that he'd caught the traitorous veteran, before he had more information.

Seeing nothing for it, he slowly dispelled his remaining clones around the village - a trickle of blood paying testament to the stress of such an act. He needed to recover every last scrap of Chakra, every iota of information in order to face the _ninja _council on this issue... The Hokage's twitching fingers signaled for his remaining Anbu guards, pacing him at a distance, to ensure that his previous summons for the Clan Heads went through smoothly.

Finally, satisfied that there were no witnesses, a drop of blood was spilled, and a small puff of Chakra saw a small chimp off to retrieve T&I's reports garnered from the NE operative's body. '_Danzo, you old hawk. You've gone too far this time, friendship be damned, treason demands retribution.'_ Yet, when he reached the Ninja council chambers, there was no Danzo. There was also no Naruto. A loyal Uchiha officer quickly reported on the police force's lack of success in finding any evidence of ROOT's whereabouts. Sarutobi sat in his hard throne at the fore of the chambers, his hands steepled and his head hung in heavy thought as he waited.

A/N: R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

July 2 2013 A/N: Updates comin'! Should be able to catch up by next week.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_**'Tenant Thought (rare?)'**  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

_Lost in Konoha..._

Naruto had so far eluded Dog's frantic search. After the Hokage's clone dispelled, the civilians had defied all reason, and simply snatched the boy up again to run off. Many of them would die later that night for defying the will of the Hokage, or for attacking the village's jinchuriki with lethal intent. Despite the mayhem, the blonde had been toted halfway around the village before being stuffed into a sewer pipe to drown or rot, for all the villagers cared. Having shown the pragmatism of foresight for once, it was Dog who finally found him; he'd placed a tracking seal on the boy early in his career, when it became apparent that the blonde liked to _roam._

Naruto was fitfully asleep, or beaten unconscious, and shivered unhealthily as Dog dislodged him from the thin space. Slinging the too-small boy under his arm, an enhanced Shunshin let him carry the extra weight to the Military Chambers. The Hokage would have his tail, so to speak, for letting Naruto out of his sight - even if the civilians _had _disobeyed the man's direct orders. He should've taken the boy when he'd taken the false ANBU. It hadn't seemed important in the slightest, at the time.

A swirl of leaves announced Dog and Naruto's arrivals in the military council chamber, and with little fuss, the boy was placed on a hastily-cleared table for healing. Well, more like warming and feeding, it seemed, as the boy was pronounced free of injury, and awoken to rice and soup. The assembled council members began talking quietly amongst themselves, while Dog breathed easier knowing his sensei's heir was going to be alright. He was allowed to fill Naruto in on the details of the boy's required presence. After a quick minute, the attention of the gathered Council snapped to the Hokage, who had coughed for just such a purpose.

"In light of these events," the old silverback began, "Naruto's status as a civilian must be revoked, or he will most surely be killed." He let that sink in. "I cannot stop the civilian council from forcing me to judge - and sentence - a civilian, even... Naruto." He looked around, the hidden implication sailing over the boy's head.

For his part, Naruto had no idea what was going on. There had been blood, and pain, and cold... but most of it was a blur. He was pretty sure he was in trouble...

Of the gathered ninja clan heads, all who had all lost loved-ones to the Kyuubi, there were a few not saddened by this news. They knew that the beast would die with the boy, having at least that much faith in Minato's legacy as a seal-master. The proclamation rested less easily on other shoulders.

Sarutobi continued, a discontent _force,_ building in his voice, at the clan heads' lack of concern for the Namikaze heir, and it was this force that made sure they understood his position on the matter. "Naruto _will_ be enrolled as a student in _this year's ninja Academy_." This simple statement brought the chambers to a silence, before pandemonium erupted. _'That reaction, at least, was much better.'_

He banished the smug thought, and then quickly quelled both the boy's squealing laughter, and the dissenting shouts of the clan heads, with a tsunami of killing intent. With a barely contained, bubbling fury, Sarutobi wrenched the council back into the darkest night of their lives, crimson darkness descending upon the room as his powerful genjutsu took hold. He'd created it for this reason precisely, in the event that reason and humanity would fail him, if he could no longer bear to keep his promise through politics and diplomacy alone. '_For you, Minato.'_

"**Do you not still remember?**" his voice boomed, as the late Fourth Hokage's last words echoed through the minds and hearts of those assembled, **"**_Do you not _**still care?**_" _Kushina's pranks and stubbornness, her laughter, her sacrifice, all played out in the darkness of the chambers. Hearts broke again that day - _She had brought out the best in all of them, an orphan from a village no longer on any maps._ Shunned like Naruto has been. Determined like Naruto still was. "**Do you not-**_" _the jutsu ended as Choza signaled his defeat, head bowed; even on the lips of those less caring, platitudes and denials had been forming.

Naruto looked around confused. First, everyone had tensed up oddly, and begun sweating. Then, next thing he knew, the ninjas were more relaxed, and the largest man in the room spoke almost tenderly. "H-Hokage-sama... Sarutobi, we remember. Forgive us, damn you, but we _remember. _Choza's heart was his largest muscle, regardless of his body's size.

"The civilians have us riled this night, is all." It was true, too - a number of high-ranking clients had put on competing dinner parties, hiring out the various Jonin clan heads - expensively - to 'play ninja' against each other. Hiruzen cursed the Daimyo and his _theatrics_ once again.

The large man took in nods from his peers around him, "We've all been busy with extra work... but that's no excuse to forget the sacrifices of our friends. _What is your_ _will_?" With Choza's acquiescence, Shikaku was forced to follow along, saving face by pointing out the benefits of Naruto's enrollment. Inoichi couldn't let his teammates go down on their own, offering his assurances that he could direct the boy's mind, should he fall under the Kyuubi's influence (and despite his own doubts about such a thing being possible).

Tsume had never been against the boy - quite the contrary - but had intended to oppose the Hokage out of spite for having been denied his adoption years ago. With three prominent Council members - and friends - taking the side she'd have otherwise agreed with, she supposed that she could have her cake, and eat it too. "Naruto needs friends his own age - the Inuzuka have plenty of aspiring ninja that he should have no trouble befriending." The Aburame present merely buzzed, having yet to reach a consensus on the matter.

She shot a glare at the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi, who had chuckled. '_Even his laughter is stuck-up'. _The white-eyed Jonin stood, and left, his position on the matter having been made clear ages ago. If the Uchiha also dissented... "Once again, I will honour Minato." Fugaku stood and left as well. With enough consent to pass the motion, Naruto's future was discussed long into the morning by the remaining Council members.

* * *

As they'd discussed, Naruto would stay with the Inuzuka Clan, having forfeit his home and stipend along with his civilian status. The meeting had adjourned early in the morning, and Naruto had followed the Hokage back to his office, sleeping on a cot in the corner as he had when he was an infant. Hiruzen worked through the rest of the day, which was (by comparison) completely uneventful. The boy awoke once to eat, and Sarutobi woke him again when the day's work was finished, so that they could go meet with Tsume.

With a bit of forethought, Sarutobi called Iruka and Mizuki to his office, meeting them at the building's entrance. An orange evening sky was at their backs as they approached. Naruto and Sarutobi's smiles as they met did little to assuage the two Chunin's growing dread at what the summons could entail.

Naruto spoke first, with an impatience and energy that the adults had grown to accept with good will, if not grace. "We're goin' for a walk, Iruka-Sensei, Mizuki-teme!" Sarutobi let Naruto take the lead, while he hung back with the two confused ninjas.

"Naruto will be entering the Academy this year." Silence. "But he's so young!" Iruka's concern clashed with Mizuki's sneering tone, "He'll be a danger to everyone around him!" Other arguments were brought before Hiruzen, as well, but his initial assumption had been correct.

The Hokage let them speak their protests, and then overrode them like a bulldozer. "Regardless, as the first-years' instructors, your orders are to give him a good shot at passing, despite his age and upbringing." He didn't have to threaten, or cajole, as he'd had to for the clan heads. Neither teacher was affiliated with a clan, nor did either hold much political clout. With them, he was simply their Hokage - to be obeyed, and did not question.

The old ninja then called Naruto back to them, before changing the topic slightly. From where the blonde had been zipping up ahead - playing ninja, running through traffic with his arms held out for balance. The boy returned, stumbling on the gravel road as he attempted to remain in proper ninja form. He zipped through a sea of people, whose gazes slid off of him, who parted for him as if simply being near him was unbearable. Hiruzen's heart broke, knowing he couldn't do much to stop them from _ignoring_ the boy.

_'And I apparently can't do much to stop them from beating him, either.'_ The thought brought a momentary darkness to the quartet, parting the crowds as easily as Naruto's affiliation with the Kyuubi. "Naruto, tell me again how your training is going - I've heard you've made quite some progress with _all_ of your teachers?" Naruto ceased circling the three older ninjas, expending his remaining energy with a mighty Chakra-enhanced leap that brought him to eye-level with Sarutobi, tongue out in a cheeky face, even as Iruka grabbed him by the collar of his gaudy jumpsuit and shook him senseless.

The thoroughly dizzied Naruto managed to take a few unsteady steps, before slumping to the ground on his rear. The Hokage stopped, and turned to face him, impressed, before addressing the teachers again. "You've found quite the effective training regiment, if his reserves and strength are that far along in only a week - what sort of exercises has he been doing?"

Mizuki, for once, was forced to give Naruto praise where it was due. "Well, the first thing we did was ask him to find his Chakra. He's a bit young for it, with no training, but it's better to know what you're working with when your student is unable to tell you." Hiruzen nodded for him to continue, glad that the Academy was at least training its students better than it had in previous years. When _he'd_ taken his education there, courses for practical skills and student-evaluation were almost non-existent.

Mizuki interrupted the old man's daydreaming, "The kid's got more Chakra than most Jonin out of the advanced conditioning - at least the ones I've seen. That made it really easy for us to work with some of the more advanced physical techniques, like channeling to limbs." He looked to Iruka for a supporting nod. "At first, we figured we'd have him learning a Chakra control exercise, and maybe how to use seals to create Jutsu components, by the end of the month. Our original plan had him learning to enhance his strength and speed with Chakra by the end of this week, but..."

Iruka cut in here - "Neither of us expected the to bloody _train_ for 8 hours straight after we left. Twice, now. We had to modify our schedule to account for his ridiculous dedication - If I were heartless, I'd send him to Gai." Hiruzen shuddered at the idea. "We found a way to wear him down, and build his Chakra Control, by forcing him to run, spar, and throw kunai while leaf-sticking. His control is abysmal."

Naruto protested in vain, squabbles and cursing that went ignored by the adults. "Even once you've accounted for his abnormal reserves, he can barely keep a brace of leaves stuck to his body - most on his forehead - and _that's_ with the aid of some sweat. We're going to have him squatting soon, with a leaf on each of the major tenketsu, for an hour at the beginning and end of each day." Sarutobi's sharp ears picked up Mizuki's mumbling, "_most of the time he just manages to burn them or shoot them away._"

'_Curious...' _Hiruzen would look into helping Naruto with this problem once he had some free time. The boy _could_ benefit from some mental stability. Maybe a book to read... "And how are his... academics?" This brought a chuckle to the silver-haired Chunin, and a scowl to Iruka's face. "We're..." _'We're what, Iruka? Think!' _"Working on the basics. He's shown some... remarkable creativity?"

It was Naruto who came to the Chunin's aid, interrupting. "Can we talk more later? We're almost there! C'mon!" The two Chunin looked around, not realizing they had been heading towards any specific destination. The Hokage Monument stood before them, its tiny staircase leading around back, to the top of the mountain. Naruto was already running up it, taking great leaps - reveling in the new-found freedom of _speed_.

Hiruzen grabbed the Chunin tightly, and Shunshined them all to the top - beating Naruto only by seconds. They arrived in time for sunset; the orb's warm, orange light played across the village, setting the above-ground reservoirs to sparkling. Naruto merely complained about '_cheater-jiji'. _Luckily, the Hokage needn't have defended his honour for long.

They were met by Tsume Inuzuka, and her youngest son, Kiba. The boy clung shyly to his mother's leg, having never met the Hokage before - and having heard only terrible stories about his power and strength, the exploits of his youth, from his older sister and cousins. Then he saw Naruto, 'S_omeone my age!'_ Naturally, he ran over to play.

Naruto saw the larger boy running towards him, tattooed face grinning sadistically, and flinched away, wondering why the Hokage wasn't moving to help. A hand cocked back, and Naruto began to jump away from the attacker - too slow! - "TAG! YOU'RE IT!"

Naruto, unable to stop the Chakra pumping into his leg muscles, unable to recall the signals to his synapses, sprung away from Kiba like a rocket, landing poorly. With an impressively speedy recovery, the blonde turns to the startled Inuzuka, shaking his fist. "What was THAT!? I thought you were gonna _hit me_!"

"Hit you? Why would I hit you?! You don't hit in _tag!_" Angry and embarrassed, Naruto countered, "How am I supposed to know what you do in _tag_! You ran at me before explaining the rules!" Now Kiba was annoyed, too '_Who doesn't know what tag is?'_ While the adults spoke, he took Naruto aside to explain.

Then, he ran off - leaving Naruto with a slowly creeping grin, one that could only be described by words such as 'Sly' or possibly 'Scheming'. While Kiba hid, laughing at his fortunate head-start, Naruto began working on his plan - '_Operation '_Beat Kiba at Tag!'_ is go!' _

* * *

Kiba wondered where Naruto had went. After the Inuzuka had hidden in one of the viewing gazebos that dotted the top of the monument, he'd lost sight of the blonde. Naruto, on the other hand, knew _exactly_ where Kiba was - he knew the Hokage Monument like no one else, and, having spent a good deal of time here, always had a prank set up for tourists or sight-seers who spent too much time being drunk and loud when he was trying to relax. It was a great source of income, and the food they left didn't hurt, either.

The gazebo Kiba had taken up residence in particular contained a large wasps nest that Naruto had moved from the forest. If he could draw the other boy out, tag him, and then get inside the enclosed attic to rile the stinging bastards up, he could retreat under a secret slot in the gazebo's base to wait out the storm. Kiba would be forced either to run away, or to deal with the monstrous wasps of Konoha!

With a burst of speed belied by his tiny form, Naruto dashed from his hiding place, and ran at the still-unaware Kiba. To his credit, the Inuzuka managed to turn at the last second - but was still knocked off-balance as Naruto pushed through into the gazebo, a hasty "Tag! You're it!" as Kiba gave chase, snarling, and then Naruto was gone again. He listened for the blonde's breathing, knowing that the Inuzuka talents he'd inherited in force would win him _this_ game. But instead, all he could hear was buzzing. Furious, omnipresent buzzing.

After a few stings, and more than a few bites, Kiba did something smart, and ran to his mother. Hiruzen eliminated the incoming wasps with a small flame-spit from his fingers, neither elder even bothering to break in their conversation. Naruto, on the other hand, crawled out from under the gazebo - giggling up a storm - only to be met by a snarl from the largest animal he'd ever seen.

"aaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" **Like a siren, Naruto's _very manly _scream could be heard, louder and louder, as the blonde streaked towards the group. Behind him, the massive Kuromaru was lazily loping, pacing the boy with his one-eyed, wolfen grin. Kiba cheekily reached out to tag the boy as he skidded to a halt behind the Hokage, and Tsume turned to call her partner off the chase with a whistle. Naruto and Kiba made faces at each other from behind their respective adult-shields.

"Naruto, Kiba," Hiruzen and Tsume stepped away, forcing the two children to confront each other. The Chunin, still present, sighed in defeat. It was going to be a _long_ year. The Hokage continued. "Naruto, your progress has been phenomenal so far," Naruto didn't know what 'phenomenal' meant, but jiji's face looked happy, so he guessed it was something good. The blonde flashed his signature grin, and the assembled adults remembered just where they were standing.

"However, we feel that you've reached a point where your own abilities won't advance as rapidly without someone to train with - and Tsume's own son, who I believe you're now acquainted with, is in a similar position." He let Naruto figure out the implications, before continuing. "Although he won't be entering the Academy with you this year, if you wish, you two could become training partners?" Hiruzen smiled at how easily the boys took to one another, both natural rough-housers, and impulsive, and brutish.

"Y-you mean it, Hokage-jiji?" Naruto had counted himself fortunate, even with the added scaring by Kuromaru, to have found someone who didn't insult him or try to beat him up - or whose parents didn't shoo him away, or simply take their kids and leave. "Of course," Tsume added, "You're going to have to try extra-hard to match _my widdle Kiba_ in training," embarrassing Kiba further by pinching his cheeks affectionately.

Naruto broke down laughing, tears streaming from his eyes as he rolled on the ground. "Oh that's _it_!" Kiba broke free of his mother's grip, intent on beating some _real_ tears out of the blonde's laughing face. With a shrug from the Hokage, Iruka and Mizuki took the resulting tussle as a spar, and once finished, tore into the two bruised boys on their form and style.


	6. Chapter 6

July 3, 2013, A/N: More update! We're still in 'old chapter 1' here, I've extended it by almost 8,000 words and hopefully made its pace a bit easier to follow.  
Skippy, all other confused/concerned readers: Sorry about the discontinuity between the old chapters and the new; While I can use much of the old content, I'm trying to fix up the writing a bit. As such, until I get back to where I currently am, story-wise, the chapters will not line up. I'm at 6 now, and still not quite done revising the old 'Chapter 1', fic-wise.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_**'Tenant Thought (rare?)'**  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

_The Next Day; Late Evening  
_

Naruto spent most of the day being settled into the Inuzuka compound. The boy had been granted a temporary cot in one of the small dorm rooms, on the outer ring of Tsume's ramshackle mansion, while they looked for a more permanent space to situate him. After a small tour, led by Kiba and his older sister, Tsume returned with an armful of clothing. "Naruto, why don't you try these on? I tried to match your... imaginative taste in colors." Indeed, there were white shirts with orange swirls, orange shorts with blue swirls, black shirts and shorts with orange and blue flames, curling into swirls; when the boy's jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes lit up with gratitude, the Inuzuka matron knew she had him pegged.

After getting acquainted with the guards, his roommates, and a few other notables - most importantly, the cooks - Naruto had some free time. Since he wouldn't be training until the next morning - with Kiba as his partner, none the less! - he decided that it was time to make his new home a bit less alien. The blonde went for a walk back to his apartment with a large pillow case he'd pilfered from the laundry; ignoring the bloodstained dirt and the police tape, the blonde retrieved his most important possessions.

'_First thing's first - Gama_-_chan, where are you?' _His wallet, which he'd had since forever, was a merrily smiling toad, bright green and orange. He didn't even remember how he'd gotten it - only that it never ripped, and never seemed to be gone for too long when it got stolen or lost. The blonde chalked it up to good luck, and tried his best to take care of it - keeping Gama-chan full of delicious Ryo.

Then he gathered, from all over the apartment, small bundles of money and food, trinkets such as shiny rocks, or feathers he'd found and decided to keep. He gathered his plants, and dumped his meager gardening supplies into his bag like a tiny, reverse Santa. Finally, Naruto gathered the objects from his most secret hiding space; the books Bull-sensei had given him - carefully wrapped, the boy kept them under his arm instead of in his sack; a small, rainbow-hued bauble he'd found - it was the most entrancing, beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He sometimes stared at it for hours, when he was mad or depressed; and his first kunai - spotted in the dim evening light, long ago, and snatched after an arduous climb up the Hokage Monument. It was the first time he'd ever thought that maybe he could be a ninja - be something more than an orphan, hated by the world.

No tears were shed as he left this place of cold disregard and isolation. Instead, the last setting rays of the sun lit up the boy's golden hair, revealing Naruto's signature grin and a steely glint in his eyes. From the road, he watched as the Hokage Monument caught the final few seconds of light in the day, before the land settled into true dusk. No one watched as he returned to the compound. The guards there saw only the joy in his eyes at being welcomed back - welcomed home.

* * *

Because of their schedules, and Naruto's ridiculous regenerative abilities, Kiba and our story's hero sparred only once or twice a week over the remaining days of summer. Even though Naruto was now staying as a well-settled resident at the Inuzuka compound, Kiba just didn't have enough time for recovery to keep up with both training, and his other duties. Most of which involved kennels, and a shovel. It built strength, if nothing else, and the results showed in each of the Inuzuka's strikes.

The two began their days together, regardless. Waking early, they performed a few necessary chores and duties - making their own beds, grabbing eggs and milk for breakfast, running various tasks for their elders - Naruto had quickly fell into the rhythm and habit of Inuzuka life. It was simple and rustic, but the structure and familial values struck a deep chord within him. It felt like home.

After chores, Naruto himself was free to roam the compounds. He got warm, if busy responses from most of the people he talked to there - usually short explanations after he'd asked about their activities. Mostly, he spent his free time at the park - when he had any, that is. Normally he'd be training, and today was no exception. '_Today, I'll finally fulfill my promise to Bull! I'll finish this entire damned book in one lap around Konoha!'_ It was no easy feat, that's for sure. For one, Naruto was fast - faster than a lot of the clan children twice his age, though the Academy students he liked to prank could still trounce him (when they could find him, that was. No easy task, despite the famous Inuzuka nose!). Secondly, Konoha - though large - was not as massive a village as its reputation made it out to be.

The task, then, was a trade-off between Naruto's speed and his reading ability. If he ran full tilt - as was the terms of his and Bull's agreement - he could finish Konoha's 10-kilometer track in a little under 15 minutes. A month ago, he couldn't have done it given twice that time - Back then, both of his Chunin teachers had continually assured him that his speed would drastically improve, if he tried to work on his physical training instead of relying on Chakra so much - Naruto, of course, had complained liberally.

'_But it's so hard! And sure, I know I'll have to get stronger without Chakra eventually...'_ The blonde didn't tend to dwell on the thought of doing things the hard way. He'd seen how little his Chakra reserves meant to an experienced opponent, but that didn't mean he was ready to start from the ground up. He _enjoyed_ running with his Chakra - it made him feel alive... something Bull had mentioned as Chakra Addiction in passing, before slapping a half-dozen Repressing seals on his body and telling him to suck it up.

With paltry access to his normally oceanic reserves, Naruto's control had begun to resemble that of any other child's. It showed, when sticking leaves to his forehead - using the proper technique, instead of simply sponging them there - began to make sense. _'I've gotta flatten it out in a leaf shape, and then squish it _**over**_the leaf, back into my face!' _

Unfortunately, his reserves - fit for a Kage - had been cut to that of a Genin; abnormally large for a six-year-old, sure... But after a test run on the treadmill, forcing the blonde to go all-out, everyone had been surprised again at how much the boy relied on his internal energy to fuel both his stamina and his power. The blonde had been utterly exhausted - physically and spiritually - at the end of a short hour's time, barely clocking in a civilian's sprint for his top speed. Naruto's teachers had had to reign Kiba in during their spars for the first week, and the Inuzuka heir was definitely not comfortable with fighting his friend in such a state.

Naruto's rate of recovery was untouched by the seals, however, and his weakness and low stamina had been slowly disappearing over the first week, gone after the second. Subject to grueling forced-marches, Inuzuka chores, and fights against both his best-friend-and-rival, and his two hard-assed teachers, Naruto quickly went from civilian stock to something that might pass the Academy Entrance Exams.

Of course, not all of the boy's progress - or training - happened to coincide with his teachers' administrations. Naruto would rest once the Chunin left, waiting for the sun's heat to dissipate in the evening, before starting in on his own training. Bull's visits were few and far between, so he always wanted to be ready with something to show the ANBU. Even if it was just a new kata from the book he'd been given, Bull's slightest praise meant almost as much to Naruto as the Hokage's.

This had put the ANBU in a peculiar spot, caught between his own feelings about the boy and the will of the Hokage - the responsibility it put on him to ensure Naruto's loyalty, to know and report everything about the boy, while at the same time keeping distant enough to remove him if he showed signs of turning on his village. '_At this point, the possibility is token, at best. The fear-mongering of a war-crazed deserter.'_ Bull was certain of where Naruto's ties lay.

Currently, Naruto was sweating bullets - not from the run, though it was certainly both taxing enough to warrant it - but from how close he was cutting it with his book. '_Aw crap! I must have gotten faster, at this rate...'_ He didn't know the maths involved, but a gut feeling, instinct and experience combined, told him he wouldn't make it to the last page before he rounded on his starting point. He put the book under his arm, and sprinted the final kilometer to his starting point. Winding down slightly, he opened the book to its first page, and started again. Passing the Hokage Monument, he noted by the sunlight that he had another two laps - _'Two more chances!' -_ before the morning's training began.

He forced himself to read slowly through the first few pages, knowing the words almost by rote. '_It would be cheating to skip the words I know just because I've read them already - And Hokage-jiji said there were no shortcuts to taking his hat!'_ Besides, the story was one Naruto enjoyed - It had a princess, and dinosaurs, and a brave hero who used a jutsu that let him fly anywhere he wanted - which was to save the princess from a dinosaur, in this case. '_One day, I'm gonna go everywhere! First Konoha, then, the world!' _Still, the ending was sad. '_Why not make friends with the dinosaurs instead of killing them?'_ He was sure there were a few in the forest outside of Konoha's walls - maybe he'd do just that when he was a real ninja.

* * *

Iruka knew something was up when Naruto's grin practically split the blonde's face in half. The boy was early - a dangerous sign - and happy - another mental check beside the '_We are going to be pranked today'_ list. In Naruto's arms lay a pristine book. A sheen of perspiration was still drying on the blonde's face, and his pant legs were dusty. Before he had time to draw any conclusions, the boy noticed him. "Oh, hey Iruka-sensei! What are we gonna do today?" It was his customary greeting - even when the two teachers told him the night before, Naruto always managed to forget. '_Or maybe he just knows it gets under our skin?'_ Either way, the next question was easy enough to cut off - "Sorry Naruto, no jutsu today. We'll work on your hand-seals, however, and if you can get all twelve perfect then we'll start on Kawarimi next week, guaranteed!" He chuckled at the boy's disappointment.

Seeing Mizuki without any big stacks of paper was a pretty big deal for Naruto - it perked him right up, because it meant that today, they'd only be doing one thing, and then Kiba would show up for a spar! _'I'll show you just how far I've come, fleabag! Bring it!'_ His prediction turned out to be correct, and true to Iruka's words, they practiced hand-seals for nearly six hours. Of course, they practiced them while running, both on the treadmill and off, as well as while jumping, rolling, and dodging beanbags.

"These are all scenarios you might find yourself in, Naruto - if your opponent can stop you from creating jutsus just by forcing you to move, you've already lost the battle!" Mizuki sent a "tch" at Iruka's freely offered advice and encouragement. _'Damnit Iruka, you've really fallen for his tricks so easily? Can't you see it's just using you to make it stronger? You won't get me, Demon...'_ Regardless, the silver-haired Chunin was forced to at least participate in Naruto's continued advancement, and so offered a common mnemonic device to help the blonde remember his seals under stress - at least until they became muscle-memory.

After they finished with their sealing - Naruto had finally gotten the full sequence correct in all scenarios, after memorizing Mizuki's little rhyme - the trio were met by Hana and Kiba, as well as her three growing pups. By way of greeting, Kiba and Naruto had already begun scuffling - a remark at the Inuzuka's breath keeping any partners away setting Kiba off. "Oh yeah blondie? I don't even _need_ a ninken to take _your_ ass down!" Naruto ran, "Just don't breathe on me! I surrender, I surrender for a breath mint!"

The real spar between them was much less vicious, at least to begin with. The two boys began slowly, flowing with the Academy's flexible kata, complementing each other as their senseis called out which form to use, which stance to take. Before long, however, they were given free reign. Naruto was forced to improvise with the Academy kata - he hadn't had time to go over the book of forms that Bull had given him yet, and he didn't even know how well he'd learn them on his own in any case.

Kiba, however, heeded no such boundaries - the Inuzuka taijutsu style was vicious and brutal, intended both to inspire fear in enemies, and end fights through blood-loss and gaping wounds, rather than finesse or powerful blows. The Inuzuka bloodline caused increased Chakra flow to nails, teeth, and sensory organs - especially the nose and ears - meaning that by four, their claws and fangs were stronger than steel. By puberty, it took Chakra scalpels to properly file and maintain their weapons of choice, and a large part of Inuzuka economy was based on the remains of their fallen comrades and ancestors.

Healing almost as fast as he was scratched - a good ability to know about before one went on any ninja missions where enemies might have claws or sharp weapons, such as the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist - and nearly as fast as an Inuzuka, Kiba had no more qualms going all-out on his blonde query, especially after that last comment. "What's wrong, Kiba, cat got your tongue?" Naruto pulled his eyelid down, ducking low under a swipe and forcing his feral foe to block an upward kick that would have set him on his ass if he'd been a moment slower. Growling, the Inuzuka heir began another kata, Hana making note of any flaws to correct when they got home. It was a particularly violent combo of slashing jabs and rending grabs, some of which Naruto managed to punch or slap away, others which sprayed blood, briefly, before scabbing over, and then disappearing.

Despite his healing, the blonde still went down, howling in pain. "Alright! You win already, let up!" He bit back tears, gratefully accepting protein bars and a large chocolatey smoothie from Iruka, and less gratefully, a towel from Mizuki. '_I don't like how he looks at me when I get hurt,'_ the blonde shuddered. '_Maybe I should start learning something better than this Academy crap, it's not even good in a fight.'_ He stowed the thought for later. Hana was taking Kiba back to the compounds. Naruto looked around for Bull, but the ANBU's flashing signal - a secret between the two - was nowhere to be found. "I'll come too! Hey, wait up!" Waving goodbye to his teachers - before they could task him with cleaning up - he hurried after his family, laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N July 30, 2013: Lol this chapter took forever.

"Normal Speech"  
_'Normal Thought'  
'"Talking within mindscape"'_

**"Tenant Speech"  
**_**'Tenant Thought (rare?)'**  
_***"Tenant Outside Speech (probably never, just setting precedent)"***

* * *

_Summer quickly faded..._

_'Crap crap crap _CRAP!' It was early morning, and Naruto was hanging by his fingertips; using the frame of a window at his old apartment, the blonde swore under his breath as his backpack began to drag him down. He wasn't used to the weight of it, yet. It was only a few days after the excitement had died down, and he'd decided that it was time to retrieve his more private belongings - his appliances and furnishings having long since been burned or stolen.

However, a complication had arisen, when he spotted a shadow inside - '_Who the ^#& $ is snooping around my house?'_ Normally it wouldn't have mattered; civilians and police could be told to shoo, or scared away. But the mysterious intruder had made no sound entering the building, made no sound moving around, and tripped none of the traps that had still remained after the apartment's casual looting.

'_This guy must be serious business!' _Naruto's 'Ninjas for Dummies' crash-course - set up by the smirking, sadistic bastard Mizuki - had taught him about the basics of a ninja's arsenal. Excerpts such as "Assassination" and "Pitched Battles", of course, had caught the blonde's eye - but what Naruto had almost hyper-focused on during his instruction had been the ninja's basic abilities - the ones that didn't need to be memorized, or use Chakra control - or Chakra at all. Perhaps because of his constant pranking, stealth (and more importantly, the entire idea behind _being invisible)_ appealed to him most as a ninja.

'_A ninja works for a lifetime, enduring many hardships to master these principles,' _Naruto remembered, almost verbatim, '_leave no trace, look beneath the underneath, strike from the shadows... Well, this guy is stepping without sound, moving through my room without leaving the shadows, and has so far avoided all my traps while noticing every hiding spot I set up.'_ The blonde had kept a large assortment of items hidden around his apartment, but whoever was in there was clearing them out as if they'd been marked in bright paint.

When he heard the trap spring on his most secret hiding spot - where Bull's books, amongst other things, were hidden - he dropped to the ground without hesitation. This entailed lowering himself a few inches, as the window had been on the ground floor. '_Heh... One too many pranks, I guess.' _More than a few had hinged on his ability to hang from the bottom of a window sill by his fingertips, and now he felt a bit sheepish for reacting out of habit.

Placing his feet _almost_ soundlessly on the dirt, Naruto pulled out a kunai. He didn't seriously think he had a chance. _'If I run, they'll hear me - no way I can outrun a real ninja this far from any kind of cover..._ _Gotta fight!'_ His adrenalin was pumping at this conscious triggering of fight-or-flight, and the blonde dove through the window, a kunai launching from either hand as he rolled to the floor, another short blade thrust behind him in case the enemy had decided to appear there - a trick he'd used on Mizuki, when the silver-haired Chunin decided he'd wanted to fight dirty. '_If I can't keep up with them, at least I can anticipate them!' _A ninja deals in absolutes, after all - either you lived, or you died.

The ANBU simply allowed the kunai to hit him, the weapons bouncing harmlessly off his armour. '_That shit's tough! What the hell?!' _Even Bull's armour had parted to his kunai once or twice, and Naruto didn't think he'd ever thrown them that hard at his sensei. The intruder raised a hand in some foreign seal - fingers stiff, thumb towards palm. Naruto waited for death.

...

"Yo." Dog waved a hand lazily with his usual greeting, stepping from the shadow. "Care to help me clean up? Hokage-sama said not to leave anything important for the civilians to find and steal." Dog didn't have to worry about shattering the boy's confidence with his nonchalance. '_Unlike those who become depressed when their efforts meet with a wall, Naruto seem__s to thrive on obstacles -_ _Or at least, obstacles he can fight.' _As the ANBU mentally corrected his previous statement, Naruto apologized for having thought he was an intruder. Dog said nothing in response, as usual - he didn't trust himself beyond the basics, with his sensei's child.

The two eventually managed to clean out all of Naruto's hidey-holes - small trapped compartments, including over a dozen fake bricks in the walls, almost all of the fake knots in the floorboards, an entire fake crossbeam, two fake burnt-out lightbulbs, and a zippered pillow; and that was _after_ the ones Dog had already cleared out. They also recovered most of Naruto's instant ramen - even the villagers hadn't deemed it important enough to steal or defile. "Ya! Ramen!"

* * *

In one hand, a boiling cup of instant ramen. In the other, a surprisingly heavy backpack. Naruto set the pack - full of ramen and trinkets - on his bed, and quickly piled through it until he found the most important pieces he and Dog had recovered. '_Bull's books! And they're alright!'_ He channeled Chakra into the book of forms, eager to see what he could pull off before lunch. The blonde began to read aloud in his room, taking care not to splash the tomes with any noodle juice. The book was sparse on words - 'c_ompletely visual, Bull-oniichan said!'_ - but there were enough instructions scattered throughout the first few pages to get him started.

"First Principle, the study of self." The blonde struggled through certain words - anything with more than a couple of syllables was still especially difficult, but there were only two other lines on the page. "Focus inside" - below a picture of a meditating Naruto-look-alike, and, "Breathing motions" beside a slowly stretching Naru-clone. The blonde groaned, complaining inwardly as there was no one else to take up the difficult task of pitying him. "Of course Bull would make me do something bo~r~ing!" He skipped ahead.

"Fifth Principle, the study of forward motion." The pictures were all miniature Narutos, sliding gracefully forward on the balls of their feet, ending their motion in simple strikes or guards. "ALRIGHT! That's more like it! I can do this, 'ttebayo!" The blonde bounced to his feet, leaving the book on the bed, propped upright against his bag.

Bending over to channel Chakra into the initial animation, he watched as it moved from a relaxed pose, to a simple guard; the heels were ready to pop off the floor, the knees were bent, the back slightly curved. The image disappeared, and reappeared in the relaxed pose.

Naruto watched the process repeat itself, mimicking the motions with just his body. Something about the stance didn't feel right, but the blonde figured he'd had it down close enough. He initiated the next animation, stopping the first. The Naru-clone stepped forward once with his right foot, and that's when the blonde remembered - "Of course! I'm left-handed, so I bet I'm left-footed, too!"

He quickly tried to adapt a southpaw stance, before remembering Bull's lessons. _'Learn with your right, train with both. Keep your advantages hidden - that's the way of the ninja.'_ If his enemies weren't expecting him to strike from an awkward angle, he'd have an advantage. '_And a ninja uses every advantage! Hey, I think I'm starting to get how this whole 'ninja' business works!' _

The step turned into a graceful slide forward, using the heels for momentum and balance, while keeping the ball grounded during movements in order to spring away. Naruto took his shoes off to practice, the smooth hardwood floor cool beneath his feet.

He stumbled when trying to maintain the stance and the movement, however, unable to keep the balls of his feet from catching, gripping, or bouncing. After the fifth or sixth time he'd failed, it occurred to him to adopt another training method to help with this one. '_Deep breaths - visualize the Chakra where you want it, and expel...'_

When Kiba came to grab him for lunch sometime later, he found Naruto wobbling in place, in some kind of weird pose; an occasional blue puff added further embarrassment for the jinchuriki - even Kiba's Chakra control was better than _this_. "Hey whiskers, what kind of dance is that?" The feral grin on Kiba's face as he imitated broke the blonde's concentration, and Naruto's balance was lost to a Chakra-induced spin. Both boys fell to the ground, laughing. "That's it, runt! You're gonna get it!" Naruto was about to jump his aggressor, when his stomach growled. "...Right after lunch - race you to the mess!"

* * *

Naruto's cheek was pressed right against Kiba's, as they eyed each other balefully; forced into close proximity by circumstance, they barreled past other Inuzuka members about their daily business. When they met an obstacle, one went under and the other over. When they hit a fork, one took right and the other left. But when there were people to rush by, it seemed that they both tried to fit through the smallest, most inconvenient route possible. Finally, thinking like a ninja - or perhaps a ninken - Kiba tripped Naruto on the final stretch...

...Only to find his legs tangled in the blonde's backpack! "Art of substitution, sucker!" Naruto hadn't learned the Kawarimi yet, but it didn't stop him from easily keeping up with the less obvious ninja arts - After stepping, throwing, and climbing, came substitution and misdirection, among others. Between Iruka, Bull, and Mizuki, everyone had been surprised at how easily the blonde took to the arts. Sarutobi, receiving a multitude of reports from the aforementioned, was less surprised - privy to the boy's lineage and prankster tendencies. Almost the same thing had happened with Kushina, after all.

Taking his rightful spot ahead of Kiba in the food line, Naruto made faces until the raven-haired Inuzuka managed to catch up. They piled on food when they reached the selection, trying to out-do each other even in eating. Both boys were growing fast, and working hard - such mountains of food piled up on the plates of ninjas-in-training were a common occurrence in the Inuzuka compound. Shoveling food down until they could glare over-top of it at each other, Naruto managed to finish this task first as well - he charged off toward the training grounds, Kiba following with half a drumstick still left in hand.

After a brief respite, Kiba arrived - he was tailed by his older sister, who he'd gotten to agree to overseeing their fight on his way out of the compound. Normally, she would've explained the rules. However, she could see how badly the two wanted to go all-out - and she could handle anything they threw at each other if things got rough. More than that, simple curiosity led to her allowing the match to simply be a brawl '_Let's see how they fight!'_

"Begin!" Hana jumped back in time to avoid the two young trainees crashing into each other, fists and knees flying. Naruto gave up the first hit by dropping his guard and letting Kiba tag his torso with a swipe - but this allowed him to retaliate with a heavy knee to the chest, with his balled fists driving the Inuzuka's stomach further into his strike. Hopping back, the blonde dipped back into the stance he'd been practicing - he only knew a single punch and kick - a combination that had seemed easy enough to memorize and practice in the short time he'd had - but he was itching to try them. In fact, he was just _itching_.

"Hah!" Kiba launched forward with a gasp, legs still wobbly from Naruto's attack. The blonde in question was vigorously scratching at his back, where Kiba had dropped a handful of fire ants he'd picked up during the initial charge. He got in a couple of swipes - scratches, really - that quickly disappeared as Naruto shook out the rest of the stinging insects. "That was dirty!" With a grin, the jinchuriki stepped up the speed of the fight. '_I'll have to get him back for that one! No one pranks the prankster_ _king!_'

Chakra hummed through his body, and everything seemed clearer. '_You're moving in slow-motion now, fleabag!'_ Or at least, the Inuzuka had been - right up until his own Chakra began flowing. The two sprinted at each other like Olympic athletes, skipping across the packed dirt. Kiba dropped low, hoping to perform a whirling sweep that incorporated his claws and shins. Naruto played leapfrog. '_Doesn't matter if I heal stupid-quick, it still hurts!' _He launched a donkey kick after landing, but Kiba stepped dizzily out of the way.

Momentum spent, the two tussled in a battle of imperfect blocks and sneaky strikes, before Naruto decided again that it was again time to try what he'd been working on. '_If I can't use it in the heat of a battle, then it's useless - right?'_ Throwing a couple blunted sparring kunai to open a gap, he jumped backwards to the edge of the clearing. There was nothing special to what happened next - charged with Chakra and moving with practiced determination, Naruto executed a high punch and a low kick. Kiba didn't know what to expect, so when his block was shattered by the punch and he was sent reeling, the kick knocked him prone, his legs thrown backwards while his torso fell forward.

Kiba could've gotten up afterwards and continued fighting, but Naruto had sat on him with a kunai in-hand; "Winner, Naruto!" Hana helped her brother up, adrenaline and Chakra fading after the first round of fighting. The two moved back to their respective starting positions - This was Naruto's favourite, and Kiba's least favourite part - the following rounds would see Naruto come out on top, more often than not. '_Stupid blonde... how does he do it?'_

The remaining rounds saw traded wins back and forth, until both boys were thoroughly tired. Hana stepped in once she saw the combatants slowing down considerably; ninja battles were about quick engagements, not childish brawling. "Now, we'll go through those spars together. Play by play, I'm gonna point out what each of you did wrong." This pretty much entitled beating the crap out of her brother and his friend - correcting tired and sloppy stances, forcing their muscle memory into submission - until they learned to stop bothering her on days off. "Who wants to go first?" Her knuckles cracked, and a terrible smile formed on her lips.

* * *

Naruto and Kiba had to support each other on their trip back to the compound. Both boys were sporting black eyes, swollen lips, an assortment of scrapes, cuts, and bruises - and in Naruto's case, missing an entire handfull of baby teeth.

"_WHO ARE YOU CALLING BABY? HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THEY FELL OUT, 'TTEBAYO?" _

Naruto had been carefully nursing his wiggly teeth for days, scared out of his mind that he'd done something horrible to deserve such a curse. Kiba had made fun of the blonde's situation until he felt better about it, showing off his own recently regrown canines - Naruto couldn't feel foolish for long when he was this sore, in any case.

Their walk was interrupted as Hana's Jonin-sensei came to pick her up; words were spoken in hushed tones, and a small argument ensued. The Jonin left, and Hana hurried to gather her ninken. Naruto and Kiba trundled home; they were sore, but knew better than to ask about ninja business by now - at best they'd be ignored, and that was something Naruto didn't want to risk, if he could help it.

Too tired for training, the boys fell quickly asleep, another day on the horizon.


	8. 8: Fill-in! Heart of Thunder

A/N: Pace should pick up here, chapters should come a bit easier. Thanks again to everyone who's taken time to review! I really appreciate it, especially krakonfive, TigerzzTail, and serialkeller for taking such an interest, and listening to my ramblings :)

* * *

Later in his life, in hard times and good times, Naruto would often look back on some of the happier moments of his childhood. He was known for taking long, solitary trips for such introspections. One such memory originated on the advent of his 8th birthday.

The date is October 10th, and the village is coming alive - lights, banners, paper lanterns, and fireworks go during the day, a holiday for ninja and civilian alike. As the sun sets, festivals begin - sweets and fried foods are sold or handed out in the streets, parades march down every majour road, squealing laughter and smiling children run throughout the village parks, playing with fireworks or each other. Actors and performers abound, and the air is filled with celebration. Celebrating Naruto's birth. Celebrating their home being spared. Celebrating the death of the Kyuubi, the sacrifice of their beloved Fourth Hokage.

It was the first time Naruto could remember hearing music.

* * *

Naruto sat high on the edge an apartment building, vaguely aware of Dog behind him. They were overlooking an incredible display of puppetry, coordination, and showmanship - A dozen actors filling a canvas Kyuubi, held off by a young actress portraying the Yondaime Hokage (who had been known for, and prideful of, his fair features). They danced back and forth on a large stage, flaming torches and stage-jutsu being woven into a terrible and totally engrossing story.

The booming voice of the Kyuubi rang out from the canvas copy, a challenge and a roar of defiance all in one, full of malice and completely unlike the genuine beast's own. Naruto 'Tch'd. And that's when it reached him.

It was a simple melody, less than a handful of players near the stage managing to carry it throughout the streets nearby. A flute, bright and clear, shining like Minato's sword in the darkness. It danced as the actress swung, carrying the blade as surely and swiftly as any swordsman.

A violin and a lute took up counterpositions, high and low, sharp and minor - setting the pace of the fight, the feet of those on stage flowing in between pluck of string and swipe of bow.

Finally, the thunder of the drum took up and replaced the heartbeats of all those present. There was no denying its beat, each blow that struck, each blow that missed, accenting the Kyuubi's roar, bringing it to life for the duration of the performance. There was no one unmoved as the story unfolded, no one who did not shiver at Minato's dying cry - declaring his love for Konoha, dedicating his death to its people.

Naruto had begun crying sometime during the play. Whether from the music, or from seeing his father's death yet again, Dog could not say.

* * *

Naruto woke late the next morning, a habit he'd broken long ago that cropped up on occasion. He yawned as he changed into his clothes and wrapped is arms and shins, setting water to boil for breakfast. '_Ramen and nutri-paste,_ _my favourite!'_ There was no sarcasm to the thought.

Students in second year were required to spend time building good training habits. It wouldn't do to get hurt during the day's exercises, and because of his endurance and healing, Iruka had forced him into a much higher degree of training than most of his peers.

Only Choji and Sasuke, along with a couple of older students, were required to do anything even half as taxing. The worst the rest of the class had to worry about was proper stretching and nutrition.

Though Iruka and Mizuki's duty to train the boy had stopped at the end of the year - when Naruto had passed his first year's exam, if barely - the scarred chunin had taken somewhat of a liking to the boy. It wouldn't affect how he graded the blonde, but he occasionally took Naruto out for ramen, or helped him earn some extra credit on the side.

After the summer had ended, and with it, the lax summer studies, Naruto had hardly had any time to play with his friends. They weren't all in the same class this year - Naruto's low theory marks had put him into a class that focused more on finding which subjects _would_ interest him, so he wouldn't be completely brain-dead when it came to solo missions.

So far, it had resulted in a lot of history books being cracked. Naruto could read for hours on armies and battles. He felt each victory and defeat. It wouldn't help him _that much_ in any modern situation - the battles had been fought on horseback, by soldiers without Chakra. The past was a scary time.

His other interest-area studies were mostly going to be covered in the third year, so he had plenty of time to dedicate to physical training.

As for Sakura, she'd been practically fast-tracked into third year for everything but her physical exercises and jutsu instruction - her Chakra reserves were so low that it was impractical to teach her any of the more advanced jutsu until they improved.

Luckily, the cut-off between first and second year allowed teachers to spend a lot more time with each student individually. She was training with one of the part-time teachers in her free time in order to improve.

Shikamaru had somehow made it into second year. When Naruto had asked who he bribed, the Nara had pretended to be asleep, but a quiet "Troublesome" still managed to slip through his lips.

Choji and Shino had graduated together near the top of the class, Shino's undone exams not counting against him. Hinata and Neji were not present for second year, their clan training taking precedence, as the nervous and musculature systems required for the gentle fist style needed long years pf dedicated training. They'd be back to finish their final year in the Academy, to the envy and ire of many students from lesser clans.

Sasuke... Sasuke was fully in third year. There were enough people there that could challenge him, he'd be training long, hard hours without time for Naruto anymore. Sasuke fully intended to remain top of any class he was in, and judging from his progress on the scoreboards, he was well on his way to making it.

Naruto's water finished boiling, and he made short work of a half-dozen packages of cup-noodles, gloopy with protein and nutrient powders. He bound out the door, hoping his teacher - a middle-aged jonin who was bone-thin and kind of weak seeming - would accept his mad dash to be on-time as at least a warmup.

He wasn't looking forward to another dozen laps around Konoha. '_How can do what a teacher asks if they're not willing to do it themselves? He looks like he could use a run or three himself!'_ He and Dog-Anbu preferred to read their little orange books, though at least Ebisu managed to put it away from time to time in order to teach something.

It didn't help that the jonin seemed to have it out for Naruto - '_Naruto don't stop running until you've collapsed, Naruto don't close that book until it's finished, Naruto don't goof off, Naruto quit painting the ceiling, Naruto don't use Kawarimi in this spar, Naruto this, Naruto that...' _

At least he hadn't been hindered when Ebisu had made everyone throw kunai with their opposite hands. '_Thank you, Bull!'_ The jonin had almost given Naruto a detention for cheating, forcing the blonde to tip his hand - both of them.

At least Ebisu had been graceful about it after that, showing Naruto where he cold improve when throwing with both hands at once. Naruto no longer trained each hand alone, but was forced to aim and throw with both simply in order to keep up with Ebisu's ridiculous accuracy and 'targets hit' demands.

* * *

Naruto made it to the training ground his class had reserved for the year, just in time for Ebisu to scold him. "You're late, Naruto, again. Lucky for you, I can't afford to have you missing this class - get in line with the other students."

Naruto gave a silent "WHOOP" as he jumped, then ran to take his spot in line. Ebisu cleared his throat. "This is the Henge, the first jutsu of Three you'll be required to learn for the final exam this year. Watch carefully - the seals are Dog, Boar, and Ram, and I'll work with each of you figuring out any hitches. This is an E-Rank technique, and many of you should get it on your first try."

The jonin eyed Naruto, skeptical of the blonde's ability to do even this much. He'd read Iruka's reports on the boy's talent, and Mizuki's no doubt much more accurate ones. From what he could see, Naruto had hardly improved his Chakra Control at all over the past few months.

Of course, the reality was that Naruto's reserves were blossoming just as quickly as his control was improving - just like any other child's. His constantly increasing exercise and development needs - combined with long hours in classrooms simply pouring himself into studying ancient battles, building up what basic skills he could out of the texts his teachers provided - drove his natural abilities to skyrocket.

Ebisu was simply too rigid in his training regimen to care. He'd trained dozens of now-elite ninjas, and he wasn't about to change his ways for one blonde nobody - jinchuriki or not.

Still, it was with some surprise that Naruto was one of the first to pick up the Henge jutsu - or at least, to get an effect out of it at all. Many students performed the jutsu with a flash of smoke, revealing slightly altered versions of themselves. Haircuts changed, clothing changed, jewelery appeared or disappeared - one student became tall, many others became much shorter.

Naruto was the one who became tall. Ebisu immediately flicked the blonde, and then grabbed him by his collar - signalling no ill intent to the Anbu who had been about to step in. "Listen to me carefully Naruto, I will not repeat myself - DO NOT EVER, EVER HENGE INTO _THAT_ AGAIN! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Naruto nodded, snot and tears beginning to form.

He'd imagined himself the Hokage as he'd performed the jutsu - the Fourth Hoakge, his father. A man Ebisu had nothing but the highest respects for - an image that would get Naruto killed anywhere else in the world, and in many places in the Fire Country.

He didn't have to explain any of this to the blonde - Naruto understood perfectly by now that no one outside of the few who were close to Minato knew that the former Hokage was his father. "Yes, sir! Sorry, sir, it won't happen again." Ebisu seemed mollified at this, and even congratulated Naruto on his quick, if basic grasp on the skill.

"Why don't you explain to the others what you did, Naruto?" '_And this is why I haaaaate you!' _Still, Naruto did as he was asked. "Well, when I completed the hand seals, I felt a sort of tugging on my Chakra. I was pretending to be... someone very skilled at the time, and I guess my Charka expanded to fill in an image of what I was imagining? I dunno, it was pretty weird." He finished lamely, but Ebisu was nodding.

"I left out an important step in the formation of the jutsu. Unlike genjutsu, which affect the minds of your enemies, the Henge is a ninjutsu that relies on _your_ mind to function. I want you all to try again, but this time as you finish the seals, imagine as best you can something you wish to look like. Don't imagine anything too big or too small, or the jutsu will fail."

Naruto was on it before the jonin even finished, becoming a perfect copy of the Third Hokage... if the Third was three-foot-something tall. Err, short. He amused some of the other students by running around and making faces with the Hokage's face, laughter interrupting their efforts, until Ebisu popped his illusion once more.

"Well, Naruto, since you seem to be a _natural_, I suppose you won't mind _running off_all this extra energy while the rest of the class catches up? And no slacking!" Ebisu used his signature whip-crack jutsu, sending a sore-bottomed Naruto off on a loop around Konoha.

Five, ten, fifteen times around he went before the other students seemed to have a basic grasp on the jutsu. It was such a pleasant change of pace for the blonde that he didn't even mind the extra work. The laps passed quickly, and he enjoyed the rush of autumn air against his face - he was much faster than he'd been the year before, and running was almost as much a joy as jumping.

He returned to the training ground, gasping and panting, but remained upright for the jonin's assignment instructions. Ebisu retrieved a number of strips of paper from his jacket, and handed them to each of the students. "Each strip has a name - your task is to find out where the person on your strip lives, study them until you can create a passable henge, and demonstrate it to me this time next week."

The jonin gave some suggestions on how to find their marks, explaining how reconnaissance and observation were two of the ninja's most important tools. "If you can infiltrate a bandit camp by Henging into their chef, half of your C-Rank missions will be over in hours, rather than days. If you can single out the comp's leader before you hit the camp, you can reduce that time to minutes."

Many students were impressed, and eager to try, despite knowing that it was a slight exaggeration - C-Rank missions were a very standardized process, despite certain stigma attached to them. One week of travel, one week of reconnaissance, one week of monitoring. Anything more counted as two C-rank missions, if not more, for terms of pay and assignment. Anything less was often rejected by Konoha - they were the world's most powerful hidden village, after all.

Class dismissed, and Naruto opened his paper right then, not quite noticing the terribly foreboding smirk Ebisu sent his way. "Gai Maito," Naruto read aloud, and groaned. He would have sat there, withering under Ebisu's elated grin, but Kiba chose that moment to come by. "Naruto! You're gonna be late!" The blonde jumped, startled.

"RIGHT!" He quickly caught up to Kiba, who was running toward the Inuzuka compound. Ever since Kiba had entered the Academy this year, he'd replaced Sasuke as the blonde's sparring partner. Which is to say, Kiba beat the tar out of Naruto, and then showed him where he was going wrong.

When last they'd fought, Naruto and Kiba had been roughly equal. Kiba had been larger and stronger, but Naruto had been faster and much more clever - not to mention a bit of extra training from Iruka and Mizuki. Now, after a year of Inuzuka pack training, Kiba was _muscular_, in a wholly feral sort of manner.

It wasn't something natural to see on a child, but running around on all-fours forced the pack's torso muscles to develop abnormally large at an early age - not to mention the abs that loping required. Kiba looked like a small, hairless were-wolf, ripped clothing and all. Even his nails had begun to develop in typical clan fashion, dark black and unpolished.

The boy's wolfish grin flashed as Naruto raced ahead, and he dropped to all fours, putting on as much speed as he could. The change was unnerving for the blonde, who was used to being the faster of the pair. "Hey no fair! I'm still tired from my-" Kiba barked in his face, what passed for laughter amongst the Inuzuka. "You're never tired, Naruto, don't give me that!"

Naruto couldn't help but agree, as he put on as much speed as his legs could handle. One of the dangers of augmenting a body's performance with Chakra was pushing the boundaries of one's gates - the body and mind's natural inhibitors, which prevented people from hurting themselves. Push too much Chakra into an action without the proper precautions, and it burst open a gate like a sausage bursting its skin.

Just like muscles, these gates had to be strengthened if a ninja wanted to truly reach super-human speeds. Opening the first gate allowed the brain to send more electricity to the muscles, which could cause them to tear. This was the least of a child's worries, though it would hurt any affected limbs for weeks. Unprepared, having the second gate opened almost immediately opens the third gate - which results in a grisly end to many children's careers as ninja.

The third gate saturates the body with energy, increasing bloodflow and oxygen consumption many fold. Blood vessels without reinforcement burst, and internal hemorrhaging kills more than half those affected, even with immediate medical aid.

To compensate, any youth with enough Chakra to force open a gate is forced to wrap Chakra suppressant cloth around their limbs. While this inhibits their training and their development, it's much preferred to the alternatives. Naruto was forbidden to spar or train without at least half his Chakra safely locked away behind such sealing.

He did so quite willingly, after seeing an early attempt by Lee at opening the gates. The green-bean's thighs had split at the skin, as his muscles bulged. Naruto shivered just thinking about it. '_It would heal almost instantly on me, and I'd be stuck with a great flabby fold of skin - Yuck!'_

The other downside, however, was that Naruto didn't quite know how strong he was. He wasn't allowed to fully push himself until his gates were reinforced, and the training for that was... well, boring. He'd much rather spar with Kiba than _meditate_, even if he wouldn't improve at all (apart from skill) from the fight.

Still, he supposed he'd have to find _some_ time to do it. Maybe he could meditate while reading...

* * *

Claws raked shallow gashes across his right thigh as Naruto flipped backward, his foot grazing Kiba's chin. Ducking under another sweeping rake that would've left his face a mess, he swept the advancing Inuzuka's feet out, cursing Kiba's ability to balance on any of his limbs with ease. The dog-lover swept his legs to either side, standing on one hand - trying to catch Naruto in a vice.

The blonde jumped straight up, as a blur passed under him - Kiba's legs crashing together quite audibly. The Inuzuka followed him in a two-handed leap, backwards and up into the air. He nearly caught Naruto in the stomach with his feet, but the blonde swapped their positions quickly.

He grabbed Kiba's hair as he begun his descent, towing the upside-down boy into the ground for a two-meter drop that left him dazed. Naruto hopped backward using the Academy's zig-zag shuffle, keeping his feet within reach of the ground in case he needed to re-direct.

Kiba got up immediately, having broken his fall with an arm, which now hung limp. Using one hand and two feet to rush towards Naruto in an awkward lope that lacked his usual speed. It turned out to be a feint, however, as Kiba simply struck out with his damaged arm, fingers pointed in a brutal jab.

Naruto caught it in his shirt and tugged the other boy off balance - Kiba was no Sasuke - and before the Inuzuka could Kawarimi away, the blonde slammed their heads together. Dazed, both boys dropped onto their behinds.

Naruto was the first to exclaim, "AAAAOUCH! WHEN DID YOUR HEAD GET SO HARD?!" Kiba rubbed his own head, wondering the same about Naruto. Sheepishly, he muttered - "You run into a lot of trees for the first month or so..."

As the two youths shared a laugh together, a familiar quartet found their way to where their little brother was hiding from his chores, long overdue. "KIBAAA!" Hana and her trio of nin-ken growled menacingly over her little brother and his guest. "Kennels. _NOW_." Kiba yipped as he ran, earning a fit of giggles from Naruto. Hana eyed the blonde with killing intent as if to say, "_Would you like to join him?"_

Naruto quickly sobered, and said his goodbyes. While he was welcome in the Inuzuka compound, Tsume preferred he accompany Kiba at all times, to avoid misunderstandings.

Free for the afternoon, Naruto grudgingly committed himself to meditations. Examinations were coming soon enough, and he needed to figure out the Henge before Gai noticed him spying...

* * *

Sakura had been busy this year, busier than civilian school had ever kept her, busier than she'd been organizing enough material to ensure Naruto's improved grade... She didn't know how the other students did it, but if she wanted to maintain her "Best in Theory," she needed to be a master of too many subjects to count.

Intro to Science and Math alone was composed of a dozen different studies and schools of thought, including "Ancient History" and "Remnant Technologies." Social Studies! There were so many different cultures and classes of people to keep track of that sometimes she felt her head would explode. When to bow, when to nod, which fork to use...

It didn't help that much of the basics would've been covered in second year. She had delved ahead on much of her workload during first year, true, but so much at once was perhaps more than a child was meant to handle. '_**Those sound like the words of someone who doesn't want to be part of Sasuke's life! That's not the Sakura I know!'**_

She rallied. It wasn't _that_ bad. Her physical studies were reduced to simple Chakra-building exercises. Kurenai had blazed a path through the ranks of Konoha ninjas a decade ago, proving that physical strength wasn't _necessary _to be an effective - or exemplary - ninja, even though it never hurt.

As Sakura's tutor in the matter, Kurenai was constantly showering praise on the pinkette's growth. Positive reinforcement seemed to be the only tool in the jonin's arsenal - the fact that it was exceptionally effective with Sakura only further boosted Kurenai's rising clout - _'The mistress of genjutsu, _and_ an effective_ teacher?'

"I won't give up!" Sakura said out loud, denying the allegations her inner voice. "SHHHHH!" The librarian had just about had enough of this ninja business - if nobody did something about it, she'd... she'd - she'd find another library to work at! And _gods help_ the next librarian that had to deal with _this._

The pinkette finished her research in the civilian eight year-olds were doing multiplication tables and short stories, Sakura had to figure out algebra and persuasive essays, proper protocol for tea ceremonies, logic and etiquette. She didn't have time for lunch most days, which was one point of contention between Kurenai and herself - a ninja absolutely _had_ to eat, if only to keep up with their Chakra-accelerated metabolism.

'_At least I'm not doing it to look pretty,'_ thoughts of aesthetics were still not large on her radar. She could be patient for Sasuke, and would strike when she'd filled out more - which, according to this biology text, she most surely would.

* * *

The second years' Academy Three were all jutsu. The Henge, which was necessary for almost all third-year courses. The Silent Step, another useful skill for any ninja have; a cushion of air padded the users steps and silenced events near their feet - it was usually taught as a first-year skill, but the need to greatly improve Chakra control had been too great.

Finally, the third jutsu was simply an all-purpose Chakra kinetic; that is, it was an application of the Ram seal. Naruto was currently having troubles with all three jutsu, for three different reasons.

"I can't believe I didn't know this! This changes everything!" He exclaimed boisterously to an irked Shikamaru, who was trying to sleep. "Can you imagine how many places I could've gone with this? Try to find me!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke, and the Nara, eyes closed, heard nothing as the blonde crept silently behind him.

"Naruto, you're blocking the sun." For a self-professed master of stealth, the boy could sure be conspicuous at times. With raucous laughter, Naruto ran off, henged into a nondescript boy - a little older and a bunch bigger than himself - in order to tour the shops in town... and to spy on Gai. He still couldn't get those _damned_ eyebrows right - as if something deep inside of him simply rejected the notion.

The henge itself was simple for Naruto - the more Chakra he pumped into it, the thicker the shell got. It was harder to manipulate a thick shell, but the features required less thought to 'stick'. The blonde was pretty good with faces - especially the faces of those close to him - and the rest simply came down to details. Far too often, his Gai was wearing an orange jumpsuit, which at least was a mite better than the green one-piece.

The Chakra Kinetic, however... Well, perhaps it would be better to explain the problem from its root. The Ram seal signifies an opening of Chakra points, called Tenketsu, in order to expel large amounts of energy from certain points on the body. Almost all directed jutsu use the Ram seal in some way or another.

Flame bullets, water bullets, air bullets, earth bullets - all are variations on the Chakra Kinetic, using different elemental filters and different available resources - the exception being lightning, for certain unrelated reasons.

The ninja gathers their Chakra, builds pressure in their coils, and expels it through Tenketsu all at once using the Ram seal. It's one of the simplest techniques a ninja can use, though learning it is another matter.

What the jutsu actually _did_ was send a burst of solidified Chakra straight out from whichever Tenketsu were utilized in the gathering process, making the Ram seal and the Chakra Kinetic part of almost every single offensive jutsu.

The Chakra Kinetic could be fired at any angle, from almost any part of the body, at a range of speeds and powers. It could be used for offense, defense, Chakra shaping techniques... it was the cornerstone of modern ninja combat.

There are, however, two extremes to the technique - Fizzle, and blow-out. While training with it Naruto experienced both, regularly, due to the size of his Chakra coils, and his relatively low Chakra control. A fizzle happens when not enough pressure is applied to the Chakra - it simply leaks out of the Tenketsu once opened, dissipating harmlessly.

A blow-out happens when the coils where the Chakra is being gathered receives too _much_ pressure, and the Tenketsu are forced open, violently. Despite Naruto's healing factor, a blow-out decommissions him for two days at a time - straining a blown Chakra coil can destroy a ninja's ability to channel Chakra all together, the coilstructure collapsing on itself results in a 100% fatality rate. The blonde wasn't interested in pushing his luck _that _far.

Naruto, who had been following Gai around in a variety of disguises for hours, wasn't allowed to die until he fulfilled his promise to the Kyuubi. And became Hokage. And married Sakura. '_Wait, WHAT?'_ Just kidding. '_I need to get some rest.' _The blonde shook his head, heading back toward the dorms.

* * *

Kunai and blast-marks littered the training ground. Scorched craters covered dozens of square meters, petering out near the edges of the field. A small pond churned as yet another fireball was deflected into it, a gouge appearing in the earth as Naruto was forced back on one knee by the explosion of steam and Chakra.

'_At least Sasuke's been keeping up to speed,'_ He grimaced as broken fingers mended themselves, no need for setting. The bones would be tougher for next time, but he was no Akimichi, to be enduring such physical pain for marginal gains in strength.

He released another volley of shuriken, guided by his Chakra in a rough horizontal arc towards the clearing dust where Sasuke should be. If the Uchiha had moved, one of Naruto's traps would've gone off - simply clappers he'd strewn about as the battle started, but they were effective in alerting him to - he looked up as a shadow crossed the sun, and barely dodged an axe-kick.

"That one's new, duckbutt! Where'd you steal it from?" He'd been teasing the Uchiha relentlessly the entire fight. Just because Sasuke had been training with third-year students (and kicking their asses, Naruto admitted) doesn't mean he was going to smack Naruto around as easily as he had the year before. Besides, Naruto was learning to fight dirty.

The blonde Henged into Sasuke's older brother, Itachi - "You wouldn't hit your brother, would you?" Sasuke's fist crashed into the image where Naruto's face should've been, crushing a knuckle-indent into a hastily Kawarimi'd log. "That's not fair at all!" Sasuke finally broke the "no talking" rule, "Are we gonna fight, or are you just going to-"

Sasuke was forced to dodge a Chakra Kinetic, slightly under-powered but denting the soft ground none the less. Naruto moved in to engage, hoping their ninjutsu battle had worn the Uchiha down at least a little. He wasn't allowed to remove his Chakra inhibitors until he could lap Konoha in less than a minute wearing them - no small feat for someone with such small feet.

Because of that, and because of Sasuke's natural excellence at both gate and Chakra control, the boys were on roughly even ground when it came to the amount of raw power they could put out in a spar. Naruto'd been forcing Sasuke to expend a lot more energy than himself by littering the field with traps. '_If a ninja fights fair, it's to distract you from his real goal!_'

Admittedly, clappers weren't much of a trap - but they hurt like hell to step on, and he'd caught Sasuke's right ear with one when he threw a final volley out. He'd be willing to bet it was _still_ ringing.

Naruto caught a low fist with the side of his shin, snapping a kick that forced him into a backward tumble as Sasuke's guard flipped him. The boys built momentum, testing, pausing, cranking the power. Both of them were sweating rivulets after only a couple of minutes, though Naruto knew he was reaching the end of what he could do safely.

Sasuke had been fighting at his maximum speed and strength for less than ten seconds, gaining ground now by adjusting his form to counter Naruto's. The blonde still needed to work on his footing, his blocks, and his pattern recognition - Sasuke had blocked the same strike three times in a row, which meant that the blonde was going to switch tactics, try again three times, and then...

A straight punch, simple, tried, and true, sent Naruto across the training field and into a tumble. His roll ended against a tree, startling some crows. Sasuke was there in an instant, a kunai against Naruto's throat. The blonde gulped, and raised his hands. "You win again, bastard!"

"You lose again, dead-last. How close were you to maxing out?" Naruto took a moment to guess. "If I took these off," he indicated his bandaged arms and legs, "I could probably move twice as fast, and hit twice as hard," he waited for Sasuke's whistle before continuing, "For about six seconds. Then my heart would give out and my skin would explode."

"Tch, idiot." Sasuke began walking home. Sakura would find him soon, if he kept hanging out with Naruto - and he'd had almost an entire year away from her _attentions_. It'd been a nice year. "Hey, uh Sasuke..." Naruto began, and the Uchiha turned partially to look at his rival.

"D'you wanna. head for ramen sometime? We barely talk anymore - I know you're busy but..." Sasuke resumed walking. "Maybe later, Naruto. I've got a lot to work on for exams." With that, the Uchiha was gone, and Naruto was alone.

* * *

The second-year exam was easier, relatively, and Naruto passed without much of a hindrance. Theory was one of his better marks, owing to the fact that it was almost entirely built up from things he would've been reading anyways.

In general, the first year exam was designed to remove those who didn't have the aptitude to learn any of the necessary basics - children without the necessary Chakra reserves or control to become ninjas wouldn't be able to perform the Kawarimi or Bunshin. Those without the physical dexterity or mental aptitude wouldn't be able to pass the practical or theory examinations.

Therefore, the next three (or so) years were there to fill in and fill out prospective ninjas. And _boy_ did Naruto need filling in.

* * *

And there we go.


	9. 9: A Fiend Indeed

Naruto's third-year class consisted of Kiba, Chouji, and Shikamaru. Somehow, the Nara had managed to slip through the finals once again. How he did it, Naruto didn't even want to know - he was finally catching on, at least a little, to how smart the lazy youth was.

Kiba's first year had been an abrupt change of pace for the Inuzuka. While he dominated his class's spars, his claws made forming hand seals a pain - literally. Most members of his clan had many scars attesting to that fact.

Kiba suffered from a similar problem to Naruto - if it didn't have to do with his interests, he didn't listen. He wouldn't have passed his theory without Naruto's help, and Iruka had been surprised that the universe itself hadn't broken under the irony, when he found out.

Choji had simply continued barelling through his courses and training, his large form belying a surprisingly inquisitive mind, and a heart that took after his father's endearing him to classmates and teachers alike.

If not for Shikamaru, continually dragging the Akimichi off for snacks, or to laze under a blue sky when they could be training, Choji could have been in the fourth year skip himself. Still, together in third year, the small group spent much of their time studying, training, and terrorizing the park.

Naruto was no longer limited to Ichiraku's Ramen, either - and Choji had taken it upon himself to introduce the blonde to as many dining splendors as their tiny wallets could bear. Henged into a generic, unremarkable boy, vendors and waitresses all but fawned over the boys.

"And this," Choji indicated the large plate of dumplings in his hand, "is dango - real dango, not the packaged stuff you're used to." He set the steaming pile of sweet dumplings in front of the blonde, clearly anticipating his reaction.

Naruto took a skewer, sniffing it before opening his mouth to inhale one. "Not bad, but ramen's still got it beat any day!" Choji began to protest, before a flash of killing intent tore through those gathered.

"Dango?" The teen's voice practically dripped with malice. "Not as good as _ramen_?'' Naruto recovered first, jumping onto the table to put himself on equal footing with the newcomer. "YEAH! And what of it? I think ramen's the best food in the world, and anyone who disagrees is just wrong!"

Anko's eyebrow raised as she regarded the Henged child's theatrics. _'He's got guts, I'll give him that. But...'_ She popped his disguise with a dango skewer, before eating the dumplings off of it. "Why the Henge brat? You practicin' or something?"

Naruto was caught completely off-guard by the change of pace, frozen for a moment as his mouth opened and closed like a fish. 'She doesn't know who I am?' Shikamaru intervened, placing money on the table and - with Choji's help - ushering them out of the restaurant.

Anko followed, curiosity piqued. Plus, they'd bought her dango. Well, she'd taken the dango they'd bought, but it was almost the same thing. "Hey, little shits! Wait up! Answer me when I ask a question!" She hadn't became an assistant to the head of T&I by letting her prey go.

Shikamaru just kept walking, but Choji turned around. As he did, Naruto and Kiba dove to either side, and all three dropped into fighting stances. "Go away, please." Choji pleaded. Anko laughed. She laughed long and hard, while the three boys glanced at each other until the awkward moment passed.

Then, she moved to tie them all up in one go - she'd teach them a lesson about respecting their fellow ninjas. Rather, she would've. Instead, she found herself pulling a kunai out of her pouch. "Shadow Imitation Technique, complete."

Shikamaru - the little bugger had been a Nara? That explained the Akimichi, at least... and the blonde must be - "Another Ino-Shika-Cho?" She broke the jutsu with a jerking motion, elicting a "Troublesome" from somewhere nearby. Naruto scratched his head, while Choji and Kiba took their turn to laugh.

"I'm Choji, these are my friends, Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru." The gentle giant extended his hand, and Anko ignored it. "Naruto? That's not a Yamanaka name at all." She had a pretty little puzzle now, and not one of these kids was going anywhere until she'd figured it out. "Shikamaru, you can come out now."

"Tch," the Nara rejoined his friends, and they began walking, Anko with them. "So, what year are you little shits in?" Naruto couldn't help himself. "Where do you get off calling us little shits? I'm gonna be the Hokage one day, dattebayo! Then we'll see who's the little shit!" What a mouth on the blonde!

"The Hokage, eh? Big dreams for a little squirt," she held him at arms' length, dodging his attacks with the grace and flexibility that came from a thousand tea ceremonies. "And you, little shits? I suppose you're all gonna be clan heads one day?" Choji nodded with some mirth at the spectacle before him, while Kiba was too busy rolling on the floor, howling with laughter.

Even Shikamaru had a smirk on his face, having caught on to the game they now played. "Not me, I'm going to be the world's best mime." Naruto stopped and stared at the Nara, "WHAAAT?" Shikamaru just continued - if she wasn't going to leave them alone until she'd got her fill, he'd fill her right up.

"No one will be able to get a word out of me, but my imagination will come to life all around them." It was the most Kiba or Naruto had heard out of the Nara - Choji had only heard more when Shikamaru complained about chores. "People will come, from other cities, from other countries, to watch me act. Everyone will have their own guesses as to what great story is playing out around me, but it will be my secret."

Anko regarded him seriously for a moment, before nodding, slowly. "Tch." She would've been offended, but her attentions were already on Kiba. "And you, furball?" Kiba hadn't really thought about what he wanted to do with his life. It wasn't that unexpected - he was nine, and his training had revolved around 'duty' and 'responsibility', not dreams and hopes.

"I just wanna be rich and famous, I guess! Now let's get out of here guys, or Hana's gonna have my hide!" He moved to scurry off, but Anko simply turned her attention to Choji. With no one following him, a dejected Kiba returned to his pack alone.

Choji poked his fingers together for a moment, face becoming red. He wasn't used to such intimate questions, and was a bit embarrased by his own dreams for the future. '_Though_,' he supposed, '_It's not as silly as being a mime._' He looked up when Anko coughed. "Well, big boy?" He knew she was only saying it to piss him off, but he rose to the bait anyways.

With an angry edge to his voice, he shouted a bit louder than he intended to - "I'm going to be a CHEF, alright!? And just you wait and see if I serve _YOU_ any dango!" Anko blinked a few times, then cleared out an ear with her pinky. "Alright little shits, you pass, I suppose." With a wink at Shikamaru, she moved to leave.

"Wait!" Naruto held out a hand, as Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. He and Choji began to walk back to the Academy, the rest of their break would be spent lounging in their spots on the grass. "What's your name? You come here and make fun of us for havin' dreams and don't even tell us anything about yourself?"

Well, at least one of them asked. "Part of bein' a ninja, kid - take everything and give nothing away! Bye!" Before Naruto could protest further, she Shunshined away, Naruto catching nothing but a mouthful of swirling leaves as he lept to intercept her.

* * *

Shino Aburame lay naked on a sterile metal table, thousands of holes covering his swollen body. Four queens now resided in a special coccoon that wrapped around his heart, altering and repairing the Kikaichu that called him home.

Each queen brought a special mix of traits to the boy's beetles: Strength and resilience from the Goliath, Regeneration from the Carrion, and from the Blister, a potent, toxic offense that melted through many forms of defensive barriers - including thin metals and plastics.

His newest addition was a family staple - this queen produced no Kikaichu of her own, but rather, secreted a resin. This resin had been produced and developed by the Aburame since its conception, and was the primary export of the clan. It could be moulded into almost any shape while liquid, and was almost as resilient as steel when solid.

Shino's Kikaichu would be spending the next several days feeding his body while they worked on his unconscious form, covering his skin in an adjustably-sized, pourous casing. Hidden under his overcoat, the Aburame would be protected from the worst of almost any attack.

As he grew, slats of resin would move into place, providing additional flexibility and size. Eventually, the Kikaichu would devour and replace this shell with a more permanent one when Shino reached his full size. His bones would be plated in a similar fashion as well at that time.

For now, Shino communed with the queens in his mindscape. The story that the Aburame clan perpetuated to others was that Kikaichu communicated via pheremone - but that was simply not the case. The queens were telepathic, each of their spawn linked to their minds like a limb.

The bodies of the queens carried by each Aburame were, in turn, simply instruments of great hive-minds, buried deep within the clan compound. Trillions of Kikaichu tended the needs of the compound, and each would give its life - like a torn fingernail, or a lost hair - before letting a hivemind fall to harm.

Similarly, each insect in Shino's body would be ground under-foot or burned to ash before the boy came to harm. Even their nesting didn't damage the boy; the Kikauchu did not tunnel in his body, but opened passage ways instead - giving the appearance of bloating. The boy's tissues were only displaced, never harmed or devoured. The Kikaichu fed exclusively on the boy's Chakra.

Shino's ability to carry four queens at his age was due to the purity of his Chakra reserves. The boy generated almost completely natural Chakra, untainted by elemental bias and extremely potent. The Hokage and one of the Sannin could do something similar, drawing natural Chakra from the world around them - Shino simply produced it himself.

As each queen was added, the number of Kikaichu grew only marginally - instead, the amount of Chakra each Kikauchu devoured individually increased, as their bodies were augmented by the queens. An individual Kikauchi had a natural lifespan of five or six years, while queens could live longer than 20.

Each Aburame went through five or six different mixes of Kikaichu over their lifetimes, as queens blended their broods together. Shino had opted for a fairly standard "blitz" creation, capitalizing on surprise and raw frontloaded damage. Even glancing hits could cause huge, oozing wounds - even without factoring in the insect's natural Chakra devouring ability.

As Shino grew, his father estimated he'd be able to hold as many as six Kikauchu queens. There was simply not enough data available to determine which combinations would be most effective. Though any additions to the Aburame's most potent effects would most certainly be an improvement, the clan was anything if efficient.

The long memory of the Kikaichu hive minds was being accessed on this matter, but it would be years before any meaningful information was divulged. All they had to go on was oral legends of their founding members, ninja of extreme power. One had been the jinchuriki of the Nanabi, the 7-tailed beast in the form of a beetle itself, and the purported origin of the Kikaichu.

Shino would wake up in a few days, able to finally begin his physical training and sparring. He would be weak, but that would change quickly...

* * *

Bull lifted his mask, making eye-contact with his query. "What do you want with Naruto?" Anko's shoulders slumped, as the genjutsu took hold. Before Kurenai could react to defend her friend, the Anbu held out a hand, bidding her to stop. "I'm not worried about that - I know what it's like to be under suspicion, after all."

He meant the hanging threat of Orochimaru that surrounded the chunin-soon-to-be-special-jonin. His tomoe spinning, Bull repeated the question. "Naruto happens to be important to someone I care about. Be careful with your answer. What do you want with the jinchuriki?"

Anko snapped to awareness. "Jinchuriki? THAT little shit has the nine-tails? I was just jerkin' him around for hating on dango, y'jerk." Her demeanour changed, and she took advantage of Bull's closeness to drape her supple form over him. "But now that you're here, I've got a real crime you could look into - I'm all alone tonight, and..." Trust Anko to turn an investigation around.

Bull replaced his mask and cleared his throat, flustered. Professionalism won out in the end. "Maybe if you can find me after my rounds," and with that, the Anbu was gone. No leaves marked his disappearance, no gust of wind signaling Shunshin. "Pfftt, show-off. C'mon Kurenai, let's head to the hotsprings - I need to unwind."

* * *

A drop of blood almost reached the floor - which would've ruined Jiraiya's cover, had his long, white mane not speared the offending liquid in time, absorbing it. _'Perfect timing for a nose-bleed,'_ the Sannin scowled.


	10. 10: SORRY GUIZE

Sorry guys, I'm gonna take this into original content world, and push it as its own thing elsewhere. Thanks for your support, goodbye!

-"What does this mean?", From Concerned reader.

It basically means that I'm going to be writing my own fiction instead of basing it in the Naruto universe. Mostly, it's because I didn't save during a crash, and lost about 40,000 words (roughly the next 10 chapters - I use notepad and an old laptop to write, so it's my fault). doesn't support stand-alone fiction. If you liked my writing in general and don't care what it's about, you can send me a PM and I'll get back to you with a link when I'm finished.

Also, though, it's because the Naruto universe is becoming more and more constricting. For example, in chapter 15, I did some things with Gato in wave; I had to literally create an entire economy for the fanfiction to work around in order to do this. A friend of mine who's an english majour and fairly successful fantasy author himself told me "...at that point, you should just write your own fiction and sell it online for 99 cents a copy."

So I will. And if any of you want to read it free, you can.

Thanks for the support - I really do wish I could follow through on this fiction, as I'm all to familiar with the keen sense of loss and betrayal that comes from an Author abandoning a story you greatly enjoy.

If you want something similar, I can recommend the following couple fics for a million words of top-tier Naruto

The Mouse of Konoha - 500k words  
Yellow and Red Makes - 350k words

Sorry again :(


	11. Fortune Favours the Fox Resumes!

Hey there! I'm going to be restructuring the chapters to conform to a roughly 3000-5000 word 'episode', letting me focus on smaller chunks of each arc. This might boost chapter count for a bit, but the flow should return to 1-2 a week after that. This update will be replaced with a chapter later today or tomorrow.


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